5 players who deserved the ICC Cricketer of the Year award more than Michael Clarke

2. Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn

This year probably saw Dale Steyn finally living up to his reputation in the shorter formats of the game. Very often, Steyn used to try too many things and got hit in the limited overs games. But, this year, he realized that, if he sticks to his guns, there is no better pacer in world cricket than him. 41 wickets in 7 tests in 2013 is a record that anyone would be proud of. And it is the type of wickets that Steyn gets which strikes you. Very few of his wickets are “cheap” wickets. Most of them are got by beautiful swing bowling at a fair pace as well.

With 27 wickets in 13 ODIs, Steyn has finally come to terms with being a wicket-taker in ODI. Add to that, an economy rate in that period of 3.65. Yes, an economy rate LESS THAN FOUR. With these new rules in place, that is nothing short of fantastic.

Steyn’s performances have catapulted South Africa to No.1 in test cricket, and being part of a winning team always accentuates the performance of an individual.