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Warwickshire all-rounder receives award sponsored by Metro Bank, taking home the trophy and £2,500.
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Ed Barnard is the 2023 Metro Bank One Day Cup Player of the Year after a series of outstanding performances with bat and ball throughout the competition.
The Warwickshire all-rounder topped the run scoring charts, having amassed 616 across nine innings, and took 11 wickets as he helped his side reach the semi-finals.
Opening the batting, Barnard struck his maiden List A century with a classy 161 against Durham in his side’s penultimate group game. He then reached three figures again the very next match as his score of 100 proved vital in the Bears’ nail-biting victory over Sussex.
He also scored three fifties during the tournament, finishing with an average of 77, whilst his wickets came at 24.63 runs apiece, with his best figures being 3-14 against his former team, Worcestershire.
The Player of the Year is selected by the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings, powered by Argentex. Barnard led the standings throughout the majority of the competition to win award, sponsored by Metro Bank. The formula enables players to score or lose MVP points on every ball based on their expected performance for that ball in comparison to CricViz’s extensive historical database of 50-over fixtures, with the venue being played at also taken into account.
Barnard finished with an MVP points total of 180.55, while he was also the highest ranked batter in the competition. Furthermore, his four Match MVP awards helped him top the charts to win the £2,500 prize.
Speaking after receiving his Metro Bank One Day Cup Player of the Year trophy, Barnard said:
“It’s obviously really pleasing and I’m really proud of the last month. It’s a competition we take seriously so to put in some good performances and get ourselves to the knockout stages was great.
“I try to be a true all-rounder and to get the chance at the top of the order was really pleasing and I wanted to take it with both hands. I really enjoyed batting up there and putting in some good performances.
“Obviously for the most part it was a fine competition. I thought we played some really good cricket, winning seven out of eight in the group stages and even the one we lost was a really close game.
“To fall short at the semi-final hurdle was really disappointing, especially after the performances we’d put in previously. To get that far though was really pleasing and hopefully we can go one step further next season.”
Young Gloucestershire batter Ollie Price finished second in the standings after a similarly brilliant tournament. He scored 575 runs at an average of 82.14 to record the third highest batting MVP points haul behind Barnard and Andy Umeed, producing his maiden List A century against Derbyshire in their opening game before following up with another ton against Glamorgan.
As well as recording another three half-centuries, he chipped in with three wickets and eight catches, the equal highest number in the competition. Alongside a trio of Match MVPs, Price – who was voted the PCA August Men’s Player of the Month – finished with a total score of 143.13.
Last year’s winner Wiaan Mulder finished in third as he played a crucial role in helping Leicestershire to a thrilling title win. The South African all-rounder once again starred with bat and ball for his team, scoring a total of 374 runs and taking 13 wickets.
Mulder produced five half-centuries batting in the middle order, averaging 62.33 with a strike rate of 97.39, while his wickets came at an average of 31.46, with his best figures being 3-38 against Gloucestershire in the semi-final. As a result, he recorded a total of 127.47 points.
Warwickshire had further reason to celebrate as their PCA Rep Oliver Hannon-Dalby finished as the leading wicket taker in the competition. He snared 24 victims in total at an average of 13.20 and was the highest ranked bowler in the MVP standings.
The highest individual MVP score of the competition went to Northamptonshire’s Privthi Shaw, whose stunning innings of 244 against Somerset saw him pick up 41.16 points.
Mulder was one of two of the victorious Leicestershire team in the top 10 of the competition rankings alongside batter Peter Handscomb. Runners-up Hampshire also had two players in the list – Nick Gubbins and Ian Holland – while Derbyshire’s Luis Reece and Northamptonshire’s Tom Taylor joined Umeed in completing the table.
