JONNY BAIRSTOW has become the inaugural winner of the Bob Willis Trophy, repurposed to honour England’s player of the year.

The silverware, which bears the likeness of the former England captain and broadcaster, was originally conceived as a first-class cricket trophy during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the end-of-season showpiece was discontinued after two years.

It has now been given a new lease of life by the Cricket Writers’ Club, which honoured Bairstow for his sensational run of form this summer in a new category open to both the men’s and women’s team.

The former St Peter’s School pupil is currently recovering from a horrific leg break that will keep him out until 2023, but looks back with joy at a campaign that saw him post four Test centuries, including England’s fastest ton in the format for 120 years, and average 75.66.

“It’s one of those summers that we’ll all remember as a group of people and I’m sure as a cricket nation,” Bairstow said, after accepting the award.

“I remember the 2005 Ashes very fondly and was inspired by the spectacle those guys put on.

“Hopefully we have inspired the next generation, or people who haven’t played the game who flicked on, and entertained them.

“We’re not going to get it right all the time but we won six out of seven Tests this summer, which hasn’t been done for a very long time.

“We must be doing something right.”

Northern Diamonds all-rounder Nat Sciver was selected by the CWC for the JM Finn women’s cricket award.

Sciver scored 148 in the World Cup final, registered a maiden Test century, lit up The Hundred and captained her country to the Commonwealth Games semi-final this year.

Sciver’s Diamonds team-mate Katherine Brunt became the first-ever female recipient of the Peter Smith award for outstanding contribution to the presentation of cricket to the public.

Elsewhere, Lauren Winfield-Hill has been named in the Vitality Professional Cricketers' Association women's team of the year.

The York-born batter has named in the 11, which was selected through the PCA's 'Most Valuable Player Rankings'.

The MVP Rankings provide a statistical indication of player performance with the side based on their impact throughout all formats of domestic cricket in 2022.

Winfield-Hill, who represents Yorkshire, Northern Diamonds and Oval Invincibles, earned the second-most MVP points (248) and the system's most batting points (191).

The 32-year-old scored 470 runs, at an average of 78.3 in this season's Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, which saw her win the competition's player of the year.

Winfield-Hill won both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and The Hundred with the Diamonds and the Invincibles respectively.

Fellow Diamonds stars Sciver and Katie Levick were also named in the PCA women's team of the year.

Yorkshire pair Adam Lyth and Harry Brook were named in the PCA men's team of the year alongside Shan Masood, who joins as the club's new captain from Derbyshire next season.