The International Cricket Council (ICC) is preparing a major revamp of its annual awards, with plans to transform the event into one of cricket’s biggest celebrations. After deliberately putting the 2025 edition on hold, the governing body is developing a new format that will bring the prestigious awards back in 2027, combining performances from the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

The proposed changes could give cricket an awards ceremony similar in stature to football’s Ballon d’Or and the NFL Honors. For years, the ICC has announced its annual award winners digitally through its website and social media platforms. However, the governing body now wants to create a bigger platform that gives greater recognition to the sport’s leading players, teams and achievements.

The development is particularly interesting because the ICC Awards have traditionally been among the most prestigious individual honours in international cricket. 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 are the headline awards.

Why did the ICC deliberately postpone the 2025 awards?

The ICC’s decision to hold back the 2025 edition was not simply a scheduling issue. The governing body deliberately paused the awards to reconsider how the entire platform should work and how it could attract greater attention from cricket fans worldwide.

An ICC spokesperson told The Guardian that the organisation had presented its annual awards digitally for several years but wanted to rethink what the platform could look like in the future.

The spokesperson explained that the ICC was developing a new approach, with the awards scheduled to return in 2027. The revised cycle will treat 2025 and 2026 as one season, allowing performances across both years to be considered together.

This means fans will have to wait until 2027 to see the next major winners of the ICC’s annual individual honours. The combined awards cycle will also give the governing body an opportunity to build anticipation around a larger celebration rather than relying on individual announcements across social media.

However, the ICC has not yet revealed the venue, exact ceremony format or detailed selection process for the revamped event.

ICC wants its awards to become a major cricket event

One of the biggest objectives behind the proposed changes is to give the ICC Awards a stronger identity on the international sporting calendar.

Football’s Ballon d’Or has become a global event, attracting attention beyond the sport itself. The ceremony brings together the world’s biggest football stars, celebrates outstanding performances and creates worldwide discussion about the best players.

The ICC appears interested in creating a similar level of excitement around cricket. A bigger awards ceremony could bring together international stars, former players, coaches and other important figures from the game.

It could also provide greater visibility to women’s cricket, emerging players and Associate nations, whose achievements do not always receive the same attention as performances from established cricketing countries.

The challenge, however, will be finding a suitable place for such an event in an increasingly crowded cricket calendar. International tours, ICC tournaments and franchise leagues leave very little room for additional commitments.

The ICC also depends heavily on its member boards when it comes to shaping the international cricket schedule. That makes establishing a major annual event more complicated than simply announcing a new ceremony.

Who won the last ICC Men’s and Women’s Cricketer of the Year awards?

The last winners of the two biggest individual ICC honours were India’s Jasprit Bumrah and New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr, who were recognised for their outstanding performances in 2024.

Bumrah received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after a remarkable year with the ball. He claimed 71 wickets in Test cricket at an exceptional average of 14.92 and played a crucial role in India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.

He became the first Indian cricketer to win the award since Virat Kohli in 2018.

Amelia Kerr, meanwhile, made history by becoming the first New Zealand player to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Her all-round performances helped New Zealand secure their maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title in 2024.

Kerr scored 387 runs and claimed 29 wickets in T20 internationals during the year. She also produced a match-winning performance in the World Cup final against South Africa, scoring 43 runs and taking three wickets.

Both winners demonstrated why the ICC’s highest individual honours remain so highly valued among international cricketers.

When will the ICC Awards return?

The next edition of the ICC Awards is scheduled for 2027, with performances from 2025 and 2026 being assessed as one combined season.

The revamped event could become an important addition to cricket’s global calendar if the ICC successfully delivers the bigger platform it has in mind. However, much will depend on the final format, the voting process and the level of participation from the world’s leading cricket stars.

For now, the biggest question is whether the ICC can turn its annual awards into a genuine global sporting occasion rather than another set of digital announcements.

A successful revamp could give cricket its own equivalent of the Ballon d’Or and bring even greater recognition to players across all formats and nations.

Stay tuned to ROKOCRICKET for the latest cricket news, major ICC announcements, award updates and exclusive sporting stories. Subscribe and keep following us for more updates from the world of cricket.