Daniel Sams has won the 2023 Vitality Blast Player of the Year after finishing the competition as the number one player, statistically.
The Essex all-rounder scored a hugely impressive 419 runs and took 25 wickets during the Vitality Blast 2023 as his side finished as runners-up.
Only a stunning one-handed catch by Tom Kohler-Cadmore stopped Sams’ charge towards lifting the trophy for the Eagles, dismissing him for 45 off 26 in the final to secure a 14-run victory for Somerset in a day that supported the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rankings are based on a formula taking into account expected performance on every ball according to CricViz’s extensive database. The algorithm also considers the historic performances of the venue each fixture is being played at, therefore giving a more accurate reflection of the top performers in the game than traditional batting and bowling averages do.
With standout performances throughout the competition, Essex overseas star Daniel Sams won the Vitality Blast Player of the Year by securing 278.94 points on the MVP table.
The 30-year-old scored 419 runs at an average of 29.9 alongside taking 25 wickets with an average of 21.
The Australian secured two Match MVP awards in the competition against Essex and Glamorgan. The first came against Glamorgan as Sams took 1-20 off his four overs and struck an incredible 41 off 16 with the bat earning him 40 MVP points.
His second MVP came against Middlesex when he scored a rapid 67 off 24 balls and took a wicket on his way to 38 MVP points.
Sams received his Vitality Blast Player of the Year trophy produced by Mappin & Webb along with £2,500 at Edgbaston.
Also impressing during the tournament and topping the run scoring with 670 runs at an average of 60.9 and a strike-rate of 154.02, was Hampshire captain James Vince. The 32-year-old finished in second place on the table with 278.32 points, just 0.62 of a point behind Sams.
The Hampshire opener scored one hundred and seven fifties, hitting 22 sixes and 70 fours along the way to five Match MVP awards in the Vitality Blast.
The most impressive of the Hampshire skipper’s innings came against Essex when he blew the opposition away with a phenomenal knock of 103 off a mere 48 balls with eight fours and eight sixes, earning a staggering 53 MVP points in a 118-run victory for his side.
Surrey’s Will Jacks took third place on the table securing 250 MVP points during the Vitality Blast.
The 24-year-old scored 558 runs at 37.2 with a strike-rate of 157.18, alongside taking 10 wickets with an average of 16.2. The all-rounder also four Match MVP awards.
Meanwhile the Blast winners Somerset had two players in the top 10 with Will Smeed and Matt Henry having outstanding T20 seasons.
Smeed finished sixth in the rankings on 222 points whilst Henry finished ninth with 212 points, helped by taking four wickets in the showpiece final.
