DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Jasprit Bumrah has been honored with the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year accolade, reflecting his extraordinary performance in 2024. The Indian fast bowler concluded the year with an impressive 71 wickets across 13 Test matches.
Bumrah played a crucial role in keeping India competitive for the World Test Championship final until Australia regained the Border Gavaskar Trophy earlier this month, ultimately leading up to the final against South Africa in June.
The right-arm pacer delivered an astounding 357 overs in the Test format, achieving an extraordinary average of 14.92 while acquiring his 71 wickets. Remarkably, he became only the fourth Indian bowler to surpass 70 wickets in a single calendar year, joining the ranks of cricket legends Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev.
Making a significant comeback, Bumrah returned to Test cricket in late 2023 after a long hiatus due to a back injury. His return has been marked by outstanding performances, and he emerged as the leading wicket-taker in Test matches, surpassing Gus Atkinson from England, who claimed 52 wickets in 11 matches.
At the age of 31, Bumrah concluded the year by taking 32 wickets in five matches against Australia, a feat that earned him the Player of the Series award.
In other award announcements, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai was named the ODI Player of the Year. The all-rounder capped off the year with a tally of 417 runs and 17 wickets from 14 white-ball matches.
The 24-year-old Omarzai was Afghanistan’s second leading run-scorer in ODIs, trailing only Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and played a pivotal role in his team winning four out of five bilateral series during the year, including triumphs over South Africa and Bangladesh.
On the women’s side, Indian batter Smriti Mandhana was awarded the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year, having amassed 747 runs in 13 ODIs. Her impressive run total placed her above competitors Laura Wolvaardt (697 runs), Tammy Beaumont (554 runs), and Hayley Matthews (469 runs).
Mandhana also etched her name in history by scoring a record four ODI centuries within a single calendar year, hitting a remarkable 95 fours and six sixes during this period.
The announcement of the ICC’s overall Men’s and Women’s Cricketer of the Year awards is scheduled for Tuesday.
