Shami, Kohli Or Babar? Here's Who Won OneCricket's ODI Cricketer Of The Year 2023

image-lqjrf5y2Mohammed Shami emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023 (Source: x.com)

As the year 2023 draws to a close, we look back at the top performances in cricket. This was the year of the ODI World Cup, which the Australians managed to win. 

There were some extraordinary performances from players from all teams in the mega event. Barring the tournament, we witnessed some great ODI performances from players from all around the world. Considering all these performances, we have selected the ODI player of the year based on our analytical acumen. 

So, Mohammed Shami is OneCricket's ODI Player of the Year for 2023. Now, we will go ahead and look at some of his outstanding performances and give an analytical explanation for selecting him. 


Mohammed Shami's 2023 ODI Record

Matches
Wickets
Average
Economy Rate
Strike Rate
5WM
194316.465.3218.50
4

The year 2023 was outstanding for Mohammed Shami as far as ODI cricket was concerned. He featured in 19 matches and picked up 43 wickets, conceding runs at the rate of 5.32 runs per over. He picked up five wickets in a match four times; Shami's bowling average for the year was 16.46, and the strike rate was a brilliant 18.50.


Mohammed Shami's Top 3 Bowling Performances in 2023

1.November 15, 2023 - 7/57 (9.5) vs New Zealand, World Cup 2023 Semi Final

Mohammed Shami brought out the best in himself in the all-important semi-final. India batted first in this match and posted a mammoth 397 runs on the board. 

In the chase, Shami's opening spell ensured that the Kiwis did not get off to a great start. Just as the opening duo of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra was looking to settle down, Shami got rid of both. 

After this, New Zealand settled things down and, riding on the shoulders of Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell, made great progress towards the target. Once again, Shami brought India back into the game with a couple of wickets. He dismissed Williamson and Tom Latham in the same over and got India in the driver's seat. 

He also got rid of Daryl Mitchell (134 off 119), who was looking dangerous for India and capped off the sensational display with a couple more wickets towards the end of the innings. A figure of 7 for 57 in 9.5 overs is awe-striking in a match where the batters amassed 724 runs. This show by Shami on a stage like the World Cup semis was his best performance of 2023. 


2. October 22, 2023 - 5/54 (10) vs New Zealand, 21st Match of World Cup 2023

In this game, the tables were reserved as New Zealand batted first here. After a rocky start, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell ensured steady progress in the team's innings. 

Ravindra and Mitchell had a 159-run partnership between themselves. It looked like the Kiwis would set a target of well over 300 for India. But Shami triggered a collapse in the 34th over of the innings with the wicket of Ravindra. 

New Zealand lost a couple of wickets after this without adding much to their total, and this let the Indians crawl back into the match. Ultimately, India restricted the Kiwis to 273 runs in 50 overs. A big credit for this feat by the Indian bowlers goes to the remarkable spell of Shami, who picked up five wickets for 54 runs in his ten overs. 


3. November 02, 2023 - 5/18 (5) vs Sri Lanka, 33rd Match of the World Cup 2023

India posted a total of 357 runs while batting first in this match. The whole Indian bowling unit looked unplayable in this game. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj started the carnage, Mohammed Shami capped it off. 

The Indian team bundled out Sri Lanka for just 55 runs in the match in 19.4 overs. Shami's spell of 5 for 18 from 5 overs bears particular significance because it ensured the pressure on the Sri Lankan batters never eased. It testified how well-rounded the Indian bowling attack was in the tournament. Shami did not let the Sri Lankans fight back and cleaned the tail up ruthlessly. 


Conclusion

Well, it is very often said that bowlers win matches. In the year 2023, Shami was an embodiment of this statement. 

Not only the numbers but the way Shami bowled in the matches, especially in the World Cup, was good enough to strike fear even in the best of the batters in the world. His impact as a bowler makes him the best ODI player for the year. Shami's potency, threat, and art transcend beyond numbers; hence, despite many great batting displays in the year, he gets to be OneCricket's ODI Cricketer of the year.