Joe Root bags ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award for 2021

Root amassed 1708 runs in 15 Tests with six centuries last year.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday (January 24) named England skipper Joe Root as the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021.

Root had a terrific time with the bat in 2021, amassing 1708 runs in 15 Tests which included six centuries. He pipped the likes of R Ashwin, Kyle Jamieson, and Dimuth Karunaratne to receive this honour.

Be it Asia or conditions back at home, Root conquered it all with some sublime knocks last year. His innings in Galle against Sri Lanka, against India in Chennai and against India again at Lord's are some of the finest performances in the modern era.

The magnitude of Root's dominance in 2021 can be measured by the fact that he became only the third batter in history to aggregate over 1700 Test runs in a calendar year. Only Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf and West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards stand ahead of him.

Joe Root also made a mark with the ball last year, chipping in with a handy 14 Test wickets, including a five-for in Ahmedabad against India.

(With ANI inputs)