Steve Smith
After clinching the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Decade award, Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith has said that he is humbled to get the top honour. Smith, currently involved in the four-Test series against India, also said that he can't wait to face the challenges thrown at him during the upcoming decade.
"Humbled to be named Test player of the decade. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far. I've had a lot of fun, faced many challenges, learnt so much and now I can't wait to see what the next decade has in store for me," wrote Smith on Twitter.
The ICC, on Monday, bestowed the honour upon Smith. The 31-year-old right-hander, during the period, scored 7040 runs in the longest format of the game, boasting an impressive average of 65.79. He also scored 26 hundreds and 28 fifties, making him the top contender to grab the award.
Despite being banned from international cricket for a year, Smith flaunts impressive stats in the red-ball format. The Australian batting mainstay had a stellar Ashes last year where he scored 774 in just seven Test innings, leading to fans comparing him with the legendary cricketer -- Don Bradman. Smith had notched up 35.5 per cent of Australia’s runs in the five-Test series despite missing one Test due to concussion.
While Smith clinched Test Player of the Decade award, his Indian counterpart -- Virat Kohli -- grabbed ODI Player of the Decade and the ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade. Star Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan was awarded T20I Player of the Decade and former India skipper MS Dhoni bagged ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade.
Among the women's cricketers, Australia's Ellyse Perry won all three awards: ICC Women's Player of the Decade, ODI Player of the Decade and T20I Player of the Decade award
