Wisden names its cricketers of the year

Three women – England trio Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole and Nat Sciver – have been named among Wisden's five cricketers of the year, while India captains Virat Kohli and Mithali Raj have also been recognised.

The prestigious awards were announced Wednesday, with three of England's Women's World Cup-winning side along with Essex fast bowler Jamie Porter and West Indies opener Shai Hope, making up the 2018 quintet.

For a second successive year, Kohli was crowned the leading male cricketer in the world while Raj, whose side lost a thrilling World Cup final to England in July, was the standout female player.

The criteria for the five Cricketers of the Year award revolve around performances in England, both in domestic and international cricket played in the country.

It's the first time women have made up the majority of the five players named, with Claire Taylor (2009) and Charlotte Edwards (2014) the only female cricketers to have previously been acknowledged.

Wisden editor Lawrence Booth said England's Cup triumph at Lord's was a breakthrough moment for cricket in the United Kingdom.

"England's World Cup triumph last July — when Shrubsole plucked the trophy from India's grasp with a spell of five for 11 in 19 balls — was the story of the home summer," Booth wrote in a column for the Daily Mail. "If the women hadn't dominated this year, they might as well have been ignored for good.

"Knight was the captain, and Sciver the star all-rounder, sparkling so brightly that she had a shot named after her – the 'Natmeg', an ingenious deflection between her legs that was thought to be extinct. 

"All three put women's cricket on the map with a thud."

Afghanistan leg-spin sensation Rashid Khan was named the Twenty20 player of the year.