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England trio Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Sophie Ecclestone have been named among Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year.

The players are chosen by the Wisden editor, a tradition that dates back to 1889. The awards are based on performances in the previous English summer and no player can win the award more than once in their career.

Hampshire spinner Liam Dawson and Surrey fast bowler Dan Worrall complete the line-up, which has been announced as this year’s Wisden almanack is published on Thursday.

India duo Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana are crowned the leading cricketers in the world, while West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran is the world’s leading T20 player.

Atkinson took 12 wickets against West Indies on his Test debut in July, which sparked a remarkable tally of 52 scalps in the year.

Smith also made his Test debut in the summer as England’s new wicketkeeper and made his first century against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.

The 24-year-old finished the three-match series with 280 runs at an average of 46. 6, second only to Joe Root.

His solid wicketkeeping also solved England’s selection dilemma as he edged out Jonny Bairstow and Surrey team-mate Ben Foakes.

Ecclestone has been an outlier in a difficult year for England’s women, as she becomes the first English woman to be named in the quintet since batter Tammy Beaumont in 2019.

England were unbeaten during their home summer against Pakistan and New Zealand, before the disappointing group-stage exit in the autumn’s T20 World Cup and a disastrous Ashes defeat which saw head coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight removed from their positions.

Left-arm spinner Ecclestone, 25, is the world’s number one ranked bowler in both white-ball formats, and surpassed Katherine Sciver-Brunt as England Women’s leading T20 wicket-taker during the series against Pakistan.

Michael van Gerwen hit a nine-darter on his way to winning the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich.

The three-time world champion beat fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen 8-5 in the final after producing a perfect leg in his last-16 win over Ryan Searle.

Van Veen, 22, delivered a brilliant display, averaging 110. 81, to beat world champion Luke Littler in the semi-final.

But he was unable to reach the same heights in the final as Van Gerwen, runner-up to Luke Humphries in last year’s tournament, broke early and never trailed before taking the three legs on the spin to seal victory.

It is Van Gerwen’s first European Tour title of the year – the 38th of this career – and the 35-year-old looked in good form, averaging over 100 in his three games leading up to the final.

After beating Searle 6-1, he saw off Ryan Joyce 6-4 in the quarter-finals and claimed a comprehensive 7-2 win over Josh Rock in the semis.

Incredible. Boring. Record-breakers. Special. Those are all the words that have been used to describe Burnley on their way to winning promotion to the Premier League this season.

Captain Josh Brownhill himself even joked that Burnley have “bored our way to the Premier League” after the 2-1 win over Sheffield United on Monday evening confirmed their return to the top flight.

Brownhill was referencing the fact the Clarets are set to become the best defence in Championship history having conceded just 15 goals this season, smashing the record of 30 goals allowed by Watford in 2020-21 and Preston in 2005-06.

They have also kept 29 clean sheets, beating Wigan Athletic’s EFL record of 27 in League One in 2017-18.

With 12 goalless draws and 15 of their 26 wins by a one-goal margin, Scott Parker’s side has been largely built on remarkable defensive stability and consistency.

But that takes nothing away from the fact Burnley are on course to reach 100 points and match Reading’s record 33-game unbeaten run in the second tier set in 2005-06, should they win their final two games against QPR and Millwall.

“I’m speechless. All that hard work this season,” the 29-year-old told Sky Sports.

“We’ve been written off so many times, people calling us boring. We’ve bored our way to the Premier League.

“It takes a whole team – it’s not just a back four, a goalkeeper, it takes everybody.

“I don’t think a lot of the lads will sleep. I’m so buzzing for the lads that haven’t played Premier League football. “

Head coach Parker said the “ambition and target at the start of the season was to get back to the Premier League”.

“We’ve managed to do that so I’m hugely proud of the squad,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“It’s come down to real, pure commitment from every one of the players, their dedication and the sacrifice that they’ve made, that leads us to this point.

“I explained to the lads there is emotion from me because I see the commitment that everyone has brought.

“We live in a world where you win or you lose and you get judged and at the end of the season you’re either promoted or not and that’s how quickly people will judge it.

Parker was appointed Burnley boss in the summer following 15 months out of management, having been sacked by Belgian side Club Brugge in March 2022 after just 12 games in charge.

The 44-year-old said his third promotion as a manager means “everything” and said the journey Burnley have been on is “nothing short of incredible”.

“This one feels special,” he told Sky Sports, having previously won a place in the top flight with Fulham and Bournemouth.

“I’ve had some bumps in the road as a manager, not to make this about me. I decided to take a year out and came back to this, I knew it would be a challenge.

“The spotlight often shines on the players and myself but the sacrifices that families make – they fully deserve it. “

There are only two games of the season remaining but with both Leeds and Burnley tied on 94 points, Parker says they are still aiming to win the title.

“We are going to go for it,” Parker said. “That’s the aim and that’s exactly what we are going to do. “

“He’s shown multiple times that he knows how to handle this league and how to bring a group of men together and accomplish great things,” Pace told Sky Sports.

“Even when there was negativity at the start of the season from others, it never stopped him.

“He’s amazing and we are so, so grateful, thankful and blessed to have him here. “

Incredible. Boring. Record-breakers. Special. Those are all the words that have been used to describe Burnley on their way to winning promotion to the Premier League this season.

Captain Josh Brownhill himself even joked that Burnley have “bored our way to the Premier League” after the 2-1 win over Sheffield United on Monday evening confirmed their return to the top flight.

Brownhill was referencing the fact the Clarets are set to become the best defence in Championship history having conceded just 15 goals this season, smashing the record of 30 goals allowed by Watford in 2020-21 and Preston in 2005-06.

They have also kept 29 clean sheets, beating Wigan Athletic’s EFL record of 27 in League One in 2017-18.

With 12 goalless draws and 15 of their 26 wins by a one-goal margin, Scott Parker’s side has been largely built on remarkable defensive stability and consistency.

But that takes nothing away from the fact Burnley are on course to reach 100 points and match Reading’s record 33-game unbeaten run in the second tier set in 2005-06, should they win their final two games against QPR and Millwall.

“I’m speechless. All that hard work this season,” the 29-year-old told Sky Sports.

“We’ve been written off so many times, people calling us boring. We’ve bored our way to the Premier League.

“It takes a whole team – it’s not just a back four, a goalkeeper, it takes everybody.

“I don’t think a lot of the lads will sleep. I’m so buzzing for the lads that haven’t played Premier League football. “

Head coach Parker said the “ambition and target at the start of the season was to get back to the Premier League”.

“We’ve managed to do that so I’m hugely proud of the squad,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“It’s come down to real, pure commitment from every one of the players, their dedication and the sacrifice that they’ve made, that leads us to this point.

“I explained to the lads there is emotion from me because I see the commitment that everyone has brought.

“We live in a world where you win or you lose and you get judged and at the end of the season you’re either promoted or not and that’s how quickly people will judge it.

Parker was appointed Burnley boss in the summer following 15 months out of management, having been sacked by Belgian side Club Brugge in March 2022 after just 12 games in charge.

The 44-year-old said his third promotion as a manager means “everything” and said the journey Burnley have been on is “nothing short of incredible”.

“This one feels special,” he told Sky Sports, having previously won a place in the top flight with Fulham and Bournemouth.

“I’ve had some bumps in the road as a manager, not to make this about me. I decided to take a year out and came back to this, I knew it would be a challenge.

“The spotlight often shines on the players and myself but the sacrifices that families make – they fully deserve it. “

There are only two games of the season remaining but with both Leeds and Burnley tied on 94 points, Parker says they are still aiming to win the title.

“We are going to go for it,” Parker said. “That’s the aim and that’s exactly what we are going to do. “

“He’s shown multiple times that he knows how to handle this league and how to bring a group of men together and accomplish great things,” Pace told Sky Sports.

“Even when there was negativity at the start of the season from others, it never stopped him.

“He’s amazing and we are so, so grateful, thankful and blessed to have him here. “