Bairstow honoured by Wisden

The England star (pictured right) has been honoured for a stunning 2015 in which he helped Yorkshire to the County Championship title with 1,108 runs at an average of 92.

Bairstow has been honoured along with New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, Australia captain Steve Smith and England all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Bairstow follows in the footsteps of Yorkshire colleagues Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance, who were among the Wisden five last year.

It was not just in Yorkshire colours that Bairstow shone in 2015.

He helped England clinch their one-day series against New Zealand with an unbeaten 83 off 60 balls in the deciding match at Chester-le-Street, and he also featured in the Test series against Australia, where his contribution of 74 to a stand of 173 with county team-mate Joe Root at Trent Bridge all but confirmed the Ashes.

Since then, Bairstow has gone on to score his maiden century at Test level, against South Africa in Cape Town.

There was a double celebration for Williamson, who was also named by Wisden as The Leading Cricketer in the World.

Williamson scored 2,682 runs in all international cricket in 2015, the third-highest annual total of all time.

In addition, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates was named The Leading Woman Cricketer in the World.

The ‘Five Cricketers of the Year’ are chosen by the editor of Wisden and represent a tradition that dates back to 1889, making it the oldest individual award in cricket.

Excellence in, or influence on, the previous English summer are the major criteria for inclusion as a ‘Cricketer of the Year’.

No one player can be chosen more than once.