The International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning a major transformation of its annual awards, with the governing body targeting a return in 2027 through a revamped format designed to give cricket’s biggest individual honours greater global prominence, according to a report by The Guardian.
The overhaul will see performances from 2025 and 2026 assessed together as a single awards season, following the ICC’s decision to suspend its traditional annual presentation while reconsidering how the sport recognises its leading players, teams and achievements.
The initiative represents a potential departure from the ICC’s longstanding digital awards model, with the governing body exploring how to establish a more significant occasion on the international cricket calendar.
Why the ICC postponed its annual awards
The ICC Awards have been part of international cricket since 2004, recognising outstanding performances across formats and categories. Unlike football’s Ballon d’Or or the NFL Honors, however, cricket’s annual awards have generally been announced through digital channels rather than presented at a major standalone ceremony.
The most recent recipients of the ICC’s top individual honours were India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and New Zealand all-rounder Melie Kerr, who were recognised for their performances in 2024.
Explaining the decision to interrupt the annual awards cycle, an ICC spokesperson told The Guardian: “The ICC has presented its annual awards digitally for a number of years, but we deliberately held back the 2025 edition to rethink what that platform can, and should, look like.”
The governing body is now developing a replacement approach rather than immediately restoring the previous format. The ICC spokesperson added: “As a result of that rethink, we are now in the process of developing a new approach to the ICC awards, which will return in 2027 and treat 2025-26 as a single season, as we look to create a broader, more meaningful way for cricket to celebrate its leading players, teams and achievements.”
ICC targets a bigger global stage for cricket’s leading players
The proposed transformation could bring cricket’s individual honours closer to the high-profile awards events established in other major sports, although the ICC has not confirmed whether the new format will involve a physical ceremony.
Football’s Ballon d’Or has developed into a prominent annual event, with its presentation and the debate surrounding individual contenders attracting considerable attention. Cricket, by comparison, has traditionally celebrated individual excellence through statistical milestones, player rankings and separate awards across different formats.
The ICC already maintains international rankings for batters, bowlers and all-rounders across men’s and women’s cricket. Its awards programme provides a separate platform for recognising achievements over a defined period, including overall Cricketer of the Year honours.
As the governing body considers the future presentation of those honours, the ICC spokesperson noted: “There is a real opportunity for the awards to become a significant global occasion for cricket that generates genuine excitement on the calendar.”
The ICC has yet to announce a venue, ceremony format or detailed selection arrangements for the redesigned awards.
How the ICC’s existing awards recognise cricketing excellence
The ICC’s awards programme encompasses several categories reflecting the different formats and levels of international cricket.
Its two most prestigious individual prizes are the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for Women’s Cricketer of the Year.
The programme also recognises outstanding performances in Test, One-Day International and T20 International cricket, with format-specific categories for men and ODI and T20I honours for women.
Additional awards celebrate emerging cricketers, leading players from Associate Member nations and outstanding umpires. The ICC also selects annual teams of the year and presents the Spirit of Cricket Award to recognise sportsmanship.
These categories give the governing body an established framework for celebrating individual and collective achievements, although the precise structure of the 2027 edition has not been disclosed.
What Wisden’s awards reveal about cricket’s individual honours
The ICC is not the only institution recognising outstanding cricketing performances. The Wisden almanack operates its own awards programme, including the historic Five Cricketers of the Year and the Leading Cricketer in the World honours.
Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year have been selected since 1889, with recipients chosen by the publication’s editor based on performances during the preceding English summer. Unlike the ICC’s annual awards, the distinction can be awarded to an individual only once.
Wisden almanack Editor Lawrence Booth said: “That’s the prize that most people talk about.”
The publication also recognises the Leading Cricketer in the World, a broader international distinction introduced for men in the 2004 edition of the almanack, with the women’s equivalent following 11 years later.
The two honours have developed different identities within cricket. Booth added: “That has a resonance in a way that the Leading Cricketer doesn’t quite yet.”
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc and India all-rounder Deepti Sharma are the current holders of Wisden’s men’s and women’s Leading Cricketer in the World awards, respectively.
The publication’s selection process also illustrates the distinction between recognising performances across the global game and maintaining the historical identity of a longstanding award.
Booth explained: “The Leading Cricketer in the World is our chance to point out that we’re not just Anglocentric and that we take into account all kinds of cricket throughout the year and all nationalities. It’s similar to the ICC awards – you could predict in a way who’s going to win those awards because it’s generally the leading run-scorer or wicket-taker, whereas the five is a bit more quirky. The five is the one that most people ask about.”
ICC prepares for a new awards cycle in 2027
The planned relaunch comes as the ICC seeks to establish a more prominent identity for its awards within an international cricket landscape that already includes numerous individual honours, rankings and statistical distinctions.
The governing body has also previously explored other initiatives involving international franchise cricket. One proposal envisaged a competition bringing together teams from major leagues, including the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, SA20 and Pakistan Super League, but faced opposition from India, England and Australia.
The ICC’s proposed overhaul builds on an awards programme established in 2004, with the governing body now seeking to give its existing honours a more prominent place on the global cricket calendar.
