Aadi Sharma has topped an outstanding 2022 season by being named as the Northants CCC Academy Player of the Year.
The award capped an incredible season of development for the Great Brickhill and Buckinghamshire pathway batsman.
Sharma received his honour, the Dorothy Radd Shield, at the 2022 Northants 1st XI End of Season Awards Dinner at the County Ground. He received the award after he scored heavily during the campaign.
A day earlier, at the 2022 Northants Junior Presentation, Sharma picked up the Lynn Wilson Player of the Year, as well as other awards for his season.
Sharma started the season with a 55-ball 122 runs for Great Brickhill against Oxford in the Home Counties Premier League T20 competition (read more here) and never looked back.
This was followed up seven days later with 116 for the Northants Academy at Oundle Town (read more here).
After continuing to perform, Sharma stepped up to make his National Counties debut for Buckinghamshire against Hertfordshire at Bishop’s Stortford in the three-day Championship fixture in Eastern Division 2. Batting first, Sharma shared a fourth wicket stand of 145 with Alexei Kervezee before he departed just four runs short of his century (read more here).
Sharma was part of the Northants U18 side that became the ECB U18’s National Plate Champions on the Sunday 4th September. His 62 runs in the final against Cricket Wales U18s, including a 127-run second wicket stand with James Cronie, helped his side to lift the trophy at Kibworth Cricket Club.
He was selected for his first Northants 2nd XI game against an experienced Nottinghamshire 2nd XI at the Notts Sports Club (Lady Bay) in Nottingham. Former England player Jake Ball was in the opposing side as Sharma came in at number five at 44 for 3 and proceeded to score a debut century. He was finally dismissed for 104 runs having shared a fourth wicket stand of 158 with Saif Zaib.
At the end of the season, Sharma played in an England Young Lions trial game at the ECB Performance Centre, based at Loughborough, where he scored 94.
With a trip to South Africa planned over the winter with Stowe School, Sharma will benefit from the overseas experience.
Having followed Aadi the past few years, Sports Shots, like many people, look forward to seeing the next chapter.
Feature Image: Courtesy of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
