The ODI format was the center of attraction in 2023 because of the World Cup in India. Players from across the world prioritised the 50-over format to help their team achieve the ultimate glory which eventually Australia attained by winning their sixth World Cup title. It was a year of several memorable performances but the consistency stood out once again.
The World Cup played a crucial role for us in picking the ODI Team of the Year where India had a dominant run till the final before Australia had the last laugh.
Also Read: CN’s T20I Team of 2023
Here is CricketNext’s ODI Team of the Year
Travis Head: There was a reason why Australia picked him in the World Cup squad despite a fractured left hand and he didn’t disappoint. Head turned out to be the man of the big stage this year with his sensational performances in the semifinal and final of ODI World Cup 2023. You always need a player like him in your XI who can straightaway counterattack the best of attacks in the world. The southpaw hit a fifty in the semis and doubled it up with a ton in the final against India.
Shubman Gill: The 24-year-old made 2023 his year right from the start. He displayed consistency with the bat throughout the year. He missed out on a century in the World Cup but did play a couple of crucial knocks. Gill finished the year as the leading run-getter in ODIs – 1584 in total. The stylish batter also joined the elite list of players with a double ton in ODIs.
Virat Kohli: The run machine worked at full flow in 2023 as he ended up as the leading run-getter in the World Cup. Kohli returned to his very best and scored centuries at regular intervals as he also broke the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI tons. The only regret Kohli had this year was missing out on the World Cup trophy despite all the hard work he put in to take India to the final.
Daryl Mitchell: The middle-order batter was the backbone of New Zealand this year as Kane Williamson was out of action for the major part of the year due to injury. Mitchell scored a couple of centuries in the World Cup too. Meanwhile, he finished the year with 1204 runs.
KL Rahul (WK): The India star was quite impressive as a wicketkeeper-batter this year, playing a crucial role for India in Asia Cup triumph and reaching the World Cup final. He scored 1060 runs in 24 innings this year at an average of 66.25. He also aced in the wicketkeeper’s role in the absence of Rishabh Pant.
Glenn Maxwell: The Big Show played arguably the greatest knock in ODI cricket history this year. Maxwell stood up when his team needed him the most and produced a superlative innings of 201* off 128 balls against Afghanistan in an ODI World Cup match. The Aussie all-rounder not only gave a massive boost to the World Cup but also his team who were looking a bit shaky before that but his performance charged them up as they went on to become the six-time World Cup champions.
Pat Cummins (C): The World Cup-winning captain. It’s never easy to win 9 matches in a row in a tournament like the World Cup especially when you have started the tournament with two big losses. But Cummins pulled his boys and reminded them why the majority of them became the World Champions in 2015. Before the final, Cummins said he would love to silence the partisan ‘home’ crowd in the World Cup final and he kept his word by dismissing the opposition’s best batter Kohli. He also played a crucial role with the bat for Australia in the match against Afghanistan by showing great support to Glenn Maxwell. He scored 12 runs* off 68 balls which was the need of the hour.
Kuldeep Yadav: Kuldeep had a memorable year as he ended up as the leading wicket-taker with 49 scalps. The chinaman became India’s first-choice spinner and he didn’t disappoint the team management’s faith in him. The leggie made some small changes in his bowling after a couple of underwhelming seasons and turned out to be one of the best in the business this year.
Adam Zampa: The Aussie star spun his web around the batters in the ODI World Cup and played a pivotal role in Australia’s record-extending World Cup triumph. He claimed 23 wickets in the title-winning campaign and pulled out Australia from several tricky situations throughout the tournament.
Mohammed Shami: The premier pacer added much-needed fire to India’s World Cup campaign. He missed out on the first four matches due to team combination but an unfortunate injury to Hardik Pandya opened the doors for him. The right-arm seamer went on to become the leading wicket-getter in the tournament – 24 wickets – despite missing four matches.
Mohammed Siraj: He led the charge for the Indian team’s pace attack and flourished in the role when Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were recovering from injuries. He has turned out to be one of the best pacers in the world at the moment as he also held the ICC number 1 ODI bowling spot for a short period. Siraj claimed 44 wickets in 25 matches and was a workhorse for Rohit Sharma throughout 2023.
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