Two Aussies, two Indians in the running for ICC cricketer of the year

Australia's World Cup winning captain Pat Cummins, his teammate Travis Head and two members of the runners-up India -- Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja -- are in the running for the ICC men's cricketer of the year award in 2023.

The ICC revealed the nominees for the award, which is called the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, in its website today.

Cummins earned the nomination after a stellar year both as a captain and a player, leading his team to the ICC World Test Championship 2023 trophy and an Ashes retention before winning the ODI World Cup in India and picking up 59 wickets in 24 matches across all formats.

Head also had a remarkable 2023, stepping up for his team on the biggest stages with player-of-the-match performances in the Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup one.

Overall, the left-hander made 1698 runs in 31 matches in 2023 and edged other members of the World Cup winning team to make the list.

India's talisman Kohli made the list after a stellar year, scoring 2048 runs in 35 games which included six ODI hundreds, enough to make him the first batter in the history of the game to complete a half-century of centuries in the 50-over format.

Jadeja, the only all-rounder in the list, earned his nomination on the back of scoring 613 runs and picking up in 35 matches in 2023.