Debutant of the Year 2023 at ESPNcricinfo Awards: Gerald Coetzee's Game

The ESPNcricinfo Awards acknowledges the top individual batting and bowling performances in cricket during the previous calendar year. The awards are voted on by an independent panel of former cricketers, commentators, and senior ESPNcricinfo writers. 

South Africa's young and talented fast bowler made a name for himself at the World Cup and left a mark in all formats of the game.

Winner: Gerald Coetzee

Tests: 10 wickets at 24.50 (3 matches)
ODIs: 31 wickets at 23.22 (14 matches)
T20Is: 6 wickets at 10.50 Econ (4 matches)

There were rumours about a young fast bowler who consistently bowled at speeds exceeding 140 kph. These rumours gained momentum after Coetzee's impressive performance of 5 for 32 against New Zealand at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. They grew even louder when he took six wickets, including 4 for 53, in his debut first-class game for the Knights the following year. Ian Bishop had been keeping an eye on him since the junior World Cup.

Coetzee played in all three formats, including the World Cup. He was called up to the squad due to the absence of South Africa's key fast bowlers, Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala, and he made the most of the opportunity to leave a lasting impression. Coetzee, tall and skiddy, troubled batters with bounce and aggression, particularly in the middle overs, throughout the tournament. He had the ability to swing the ball at pace and his headband game would draw an appreciative whistle from Dale Steyn.

Against England, Coetzee conceded 16 runs in his first over, with Jos Buttler hitting him for consecutive fours and a six. He returned an over later to dismiss the England captain, edging a nippy delivery with his first ball, then having Harry Brook bowled in the next two balls. This pattern repeated throughout the match, with Coetzee conceding runs but also taking crucial wickets.

He was able to break partnerships and take key wickets, including those of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Josh Inglis, and Steven Smith. It is worth noting that he achieved his first four-wicket bag of the tournament against Afghanistan.

During the tournament, the bowler was able to take 20 wickets, with 15 of them being taken in the middle overs. This made him the quick bowler with the most wickets in this phase of the game. Adam Zampa was the only other bowler to take more wickets than him in the middle overs, with a total of 17. To demonstrate the significant impact he had on South Africa's bowling attack, it is worth noting that the only two games the team lost during the league stage of the tournament were the ones in which he did not perform well. Specifically, he only took one wicket in the loss to the Netherlands, and he was absent from the match against India. It is worth noting that he finished the tournament as South Africa's top wicket-taker.

On his Test debut earlier this year, he took three wickets against West Indies and added another three in the following Test. During his final T20I match of the year against India, he was on the verge of a hat-trick in the final over when rain interrupted play. Throughout the year, he played in 21 international matches and only failed to take a wicket in three of them - two ODIs and one T20I, all against Australia.

Important moment

Called in by Captain Temba Bavuma when Babar and Rizwan appeared to be building a steady partnership for Pakistan, Coetzee used the short ball to unsettle both batters. He aimed one at Babar Azam's armpit, which the batter barely managed to keep down, and then dismissed Rizwan on the next ball as he wildly swiped at one that lifted sharply off the pitch. He used the same approach with Shadab Khan, who hit a head-high bumper at 140 kph to short midwicket, ending another growing partnership.

The nearest competitor: Yashasvi Jaiswal

Jaiswal, 22, made a dream Test debut against the West Indies on a slow pitch in Dominica after breaking several domestic records and starring in a successful IPL season for Rajasthan Royals. He ran up a patient 171 runs in his eight hours at the crease and followed it up with another half-century in his next Test. Later on the same tour, he made an unbeaten 84 in the fourth T20I and added 165 with Shubman Gill. He played a crucial role in India's Asian Games campaign, scoring a 100 off just 49 balls against Nepal to secure India's place in the semi-finals.