5 players who could win the 2018 ICC ODI player of the year award

2018 has been a great year in terms of One Day International (ODI) cricket as the cricket fraternity has experienced a lot of breath-taking and jaw-dropping matches across 365 days. Unlike T20 cricket where batsmen have dominated the game, ODI cricket has witnessed both batsmen and bowlers get their due share of respect.

England has finished the year as the No.1 ODI team with a rating of 126 from 55 matches due to the brilliance of Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler. After the end of every cricketing year, awards are presented to deserving players of each format of the game by the International Cricket Council (ICC). These awards have been presented since 2004 and the ODI Player of the Year Award is currently held by Virat Kohli.

A lot of cricketers have shown consistency in their performances and stand a chance to win the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award. Here, we take a look at those cricketers who might win the prestigious award.

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#5 Rohit Sharma

England v India - 1st ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

Rohit Sharma, India's vice-captain for the shorter formats of the game, has been in stellar form with the bat since the start of 2018. In addition to providing explosive starts at the top of the order, he has perfectly aided Shikhar Dhawan at the other end as an opener. He has also shown great consistency in his performances and has got the team off to flier starts.

He has also proved to be a great leader in the absence of Virat Kohli. He has scored a terrific 1030 runs from 19 ODIs in 2018 at an average of 73.57 and a strike-rate of 100.10. He also played a memorable knock of 162 from 137 balls against West Indies this year.

Having displayed such glorious batting skills, he might have a chance to bag the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award.

#4 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian bowler, has caught the attention of a lot of eyeballs with his tremendous abilities with the ball. He has been terrific all around the year and deserves special credit for abiding with the heavy workload.

Jasprit Bumrah has simply outclassed all other Indian bowlers with his rapid yorkers and slower balls and has been the backbone of the Indian bowling department in recent times. With his unorthodox action, he has been able to extract good bounce and swing even from dead tracks.

He has also become Virat Kohli's go-to-man during the death overs of the game. He has 22 dismissals to his name from just nine ODIs this year at a remarkable economy rate of 3.63. Jasprit Bumrah stands first in the ICC ODI bowling ranking with 841 points followed by Rashid Khan with 788 points.

Due to his bowling exploits, he has heavy chances of winning the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award.

#3 Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan, the Afghan spin sensation, is deemed as the next big thing in cricket by the cricket fraternity. The 20-year-old leg spinner has taken the world by storm with his abilities to spin the ball both ways.

He has become a household name in T20 leagues across the world and has earned the reputation of being Afghanistan's biggest star. Rashid is currently the second best bowler and the top all-rounder in the ICC ODI Rankings.

His enigmatic googly and stock ball still continues to be a mystery for the top batsmen in the world. He can also play the big shots at will and increase the team's total during the fag end of the match.

He has taken 48 wickets and has scored 182 runs from just 12 ODIs. It won't be a surprise if Rashid Khan bags the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award.

#2 Shakib Al-Hasan

New Zealand v Bangladesh - ICC Champions Trophy 2017

Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh's most reliable cricketer, is also a major contender to win the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award. He is also one of the most sought-after T20I all-rounders in various leagues across the globe.

Shakib's tremendous abilities have come in handy for Bangladesh on most occasions as he has made immense contributions with the bat and the ball. Shakib Al Hasan has been very effective with the ball in the middle overs and has the potential to reduce the momentum of the opposition in quick succession. He has also been exquisite with the bat and can clear the ropes at will.

In the 15 ODI matches this year, he has taken 21 wickets at a splendid economy of 4.48. He has also scored 498 runs at a noteworthy average of 38.23. Having played a vital role in Bangladesh's success this year, Shakib Al Hasan has the chance to win the ODI Player of the Year Award.

#1 Virat Kohli

England v India - 2nd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

Virat Kohli, the Indian Captain has clearly been the best ODI Player of the Year 2018. The 30-year-old has led the young Indian team by example and has led the middle-order for India.

He has shouldered a lot of responsibility in addition to performing with the bat. His sheer brutality with the bat and his brilliant captaincy has been exemplary. He has also been the lone warrior for India in the middle-order batting conundrum.

He has featured in 14 ODI matches and has scored mammoth 1202 runs at a brilliant average of 133.56 and an extraordinary strike-rate of 102.56. He has also achieved many milestones and has his name entered in most of the record books.

With such great captaincy and individual performances, Virat Kohli undoubtedly looks like the major contender to bag the ODI Player of the Year Award.