Virat Kohli : Honour to win Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy

Virat Kohli : Honour to win Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy

no photo

|

BCCI

After being named as the Best Cricketer and Best ODI Cricketer for 2017, Virat Kohli has called it an honour to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the first time. While congratulating the other winners, Kohli also added that for two Indians to win it in consecutive years was “special”.

Kohli was at his lethal best in the 50-over format over the last year or so. After averaging an astonishing 92.37 in 2016, Kohli was able to score at a rate of 76.84 in the following season which in turn resulted in pushing his career average to 55.74 - the highest ever for a player from a full member nation.

"It means a lot to win to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017 and also the ICC ODI Player of the Year. I won that back in 2012 also but it's the first time winning the Garfield Sobers Trophy, and it's a huge honour for me. It's probably the biggest of all in world cricket and two Indians getting it back-to-back makes it more special,” Kohli said, reported ICC.

"Last time it was Ash [Ravichandran Ashwin] and this time I'm getting it, so I'm really really honoured and I'd like to thank the ICC for recognising all the hard work that we all put in for our respective sides and I want to congratulate all the other winners also."

Apart from Kohli if there was one player who captured the imagination of the cricket watching world it was Steve Smith. After his exceptional display against India in the sub-continent, the Aussie skipper demolished the English at home to regain the Ashes for his side. 

"It's a great honour to receive this award for the second time, having won it in 2015 as well. It's called Test cricket for a reason, and I've enjoyed that test of my ability over the past 12 months,” Smith said.

"I got six Test hundreds for the year in 2017, which I was pleased about. I was pleased with the way I played but what pleased me most of all was that I helped us win Tests and, most importantly, The Ashes. 

“To make a contribution in big matches and in big series and assist the team is what it is all about for me, and if I'm doing that then there's a good chance that awards like this will follow." 

While the batsmen were yet again the dominant force in world cricket, the bowlers had their say as well. Pakistan were one of the biggest stories in the year gone by as they won the Champions Trophy despite entering as the tournament as the eighth-ranked team in the world. A big reason for that was their bowling attack, particularly Hassan Ali who led the charge for the side. The pacer found a place for himself in the ICC team of the year after claiming 45 wickets at an incredible average of 17.04.

"It has been memorable past 16 months for me as a young player and Pakistan as a team. This acknowledgement will not only inspire me to do even better in the coming seasons but will also convince the next generation of cricketers that hard work and good performances can never go unnoticed,” Ali said.

"This award is for all those who believed and backed us in the journey, and look forward to their continued patronage as the next 18 months will be more challenging with the World Cup in 2019."

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all