Australia’s Usman Khawaja has continued his exceptional recent form, securing the title of ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2023. In a tough competition that included teammate Travis Head, India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, and England’s Joe Root, Khawaja emerged victorious after a stellar year that culminated in Australia clinching their first ICC World Test Championship title.
Khawaja’s standout performances in 2023 were marked by a career-best score of 195* against South Africa at the beginning of the year. Notably, he excelled in the crucial away series against India, finishing as the top run-scorer with 333 runs, including a century and two fifties in four matches.
Despite a couple of rare failures in the World Test Championship Final, Khawaja made a strong comeback in the Ashes against England, once again finishing as the highest run-getter in the series with 496 runs.
His left-handed brilliance continued with three scores of 40+ against Pakistan, culminating in a total of 1210 runs for the year, making him the only player to breach the four-figure mark in Test runs.
A memorable performance came in the Ashes against England, where Khawaja’s century and fifty in the second innings played a pivotal role in Australia’s memorable victory. His resilience and determination earned him the Player of the Match award, highlighting his impact in crucial situations throughout the year.
