Proteas duo Lee, Van Niekerk scoop prestigious Wisden cricket accolades

Proteas star Lizelle Lee has been named Wisden's Leading Woman Cricketer in the World.

Lee was honoured with the accolade after a dominant 2021 in which she averaged 90.28 with the bat in ODI cricket, including a spectacular series against India in which she scored 288 runs in four innings.

Lizelle Lee in ODI cricket in 2021:632 runs @ 90.285 half-centuries, 1 centuryHighest score of 132*A brilliant year with the bat ??#WisdenAwards pic.twitter.com/7yOzilfpHU

On the men's side, Joe Root was named Leading Cricketer in the World, just a week after he stepped down as England's Test captain.

Root quit last week after five years as England skipper following a dismal run of one win in 17 games.

But his impeccable form with the bat in 2021, when he scored 1 708 runs at an average of 61, helped him earn the global award.

Root succeeds his own potential successor with the national side, Ben Stokes, who took the honour in 2019 and 2020.

Root is the third Englishman to receive the accolade since it was launched in 2003, with Andrew Flintoff the first in 2005.

Elsewhere, South Africa's Dane van Niekerk was named as one of the almanack's five Cricketers of the Year.

She joined New Zealand's Devon Conway, England's Ollie Robinson, and Indian duo Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma in earning the prestigious award, which dates back to 1889.

Van Niekerk was a leading player England's The Hundred competition, earning the award of Most Valuable Player after captaining her side the Oval Invincibles to victory in the women's competition.

Van Niekerk was also the tournament's leading run-scorer with 259 runs at 43, and took eight wickets with the ball at an average of 20.

259 runs @ 43.168 wickets @ 20.62Captained her Oval Invincibles side to the titleDane