Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of the Indian women’s team, has achieved the great distinction of being named one of Wisden’s “Five Cricketers of the Year”.

It is stressed she is “the first India Women’s cricketer to be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year”.

Meanwhile, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2023, which runs to 1,616 pages and costs £57 in the UK, has picked India’s Suryakumar Yadav as “The Leading Twenty20 Cricketer in the World”.

Explaining its choice of the Indians, the new Wisden said: “India’s captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, led her country to their first ODI series win in England since 1999, with her world-class batting at the heart of a resounding 3-0 triumph. The highlight of her series tally of 221 runs for once out was an unbeaten 143 off 111 balls at Canterbury. Earlier in the summer, she inspired India to a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, top-scoring with 65 off 43 deliveries in the final against Australia.”

Wisden also said: “In 2022 alone, India’s Suryakumar Yadav hit 68 sixes in all T20 matches, from just 621 deliveries. His trademark blitzes included a 48-ball century against England at Trent Bridge, and a 49-ball century against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui. He was only the second to top 1,000 T20 international runs in a calendar year, thrashing 1,164 at the astonishing strike-rate of 187.”

Among the other “Five Cricketers of the Year” are Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand, and England players Ben Foakes and Matthew Potts.

The “Five Cricketers of the Year” are chosen by the editor of Wisden — the position is currently held by Lawrence Booth of the Daily Mail — and “represent a tradition that dates back to 1889, making this the oldest individual award in cricket. Excellence in, or influence on, the previous English summer are the major criteria for inclusion as a Cricketer of the Year. No one can be chosen more than once.”

Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, and Beth Mooney, of Australia, have been named as the Leading Cricketers in the World. For Stokes, this is the third time in four years.

Wisden has paid tribute to Australian legend Shane Warne, who died in March last year, aged 52. It also notes that Queen Elizabeth, who passed away in September last year, aged 96, after 70 years on the throne, visited Lord’s on 36 occasions, including 32 times in Tests.