ESPNcricinfo Awards 2021 Debutant of the year: Ollie Robinson's wonderful, terrible 12 months
It was 12 months to (mostly) remember for the England fast bowler
Key moment
The numbers
What they said
- Virat Kohli to the BBC
- Joe Root
The closest contenders
A bottom-handed bomber of a batter, Asalanka confirmed his rich promise in the main draw of the T20 World Cup, cracking 225 runs at a strike rate of 153.06, the best among those with more than 200 runs in the tournament. His unbeaten 80 from 49, chasing 172 against Bangladesh, transformed a chase that had been faltering at 79 for 4 in the tenth over.
A century on Test debut in Antigua set Nissanka up for an impressive maiden year in Sri Lanka's ranks. A technically sound right-hander, he averaged in the mid-60s in first-class cricket, and has been described by his former national coach Mickey Arthur as "kind of a different beast".
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket