Dubai: Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was on Monday named ICC men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for excelling in both home and away conditions and amassing an astonishing 71 wickets in 13 matches.
Returning to the longest format in late 2023 after recovering from a back injury, the 31-year-old averaged a “ridiculous” 14.92 through the year while also setting multiple records.
“Bumrah was the standout bowler in the world in 2024, excelling in both home and away conditions and proving a key contributor in keeping India in contention in the ICC World Test Championship standings,” the ICC stated in a press release.
The right-arm quick was instrumental in India’s series wins against England and Bangladesh at home, and he also rose to the occasion in away conditions in South Africa and Australia.
Mandhana named ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year
Charismatic India opener Smriti Mandhana, was on Monday, named ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for her phenomenal performance that saw the left-hander score tons of runs in 2024.
The India vice-captain, who was the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2022, racked up 747 runs in 13 innings to set new career standards in ODIs.
She put several batting stalwarts, including the likes of South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, England’s Tammy Beaumont (554) and West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, to shade.
Her tally was the highest among the leading run-getters in Women’s ODIs last year, way ahead of Wolvaardt (697), Beaumont (554) and Matthews (469).
She scored four ODI centuries, a record in the women’s game, and found the boundary more than a hundred times in the year, hitting 95 fours and six maximums.
The 28-year-old cricketer’s runs came at an average of 57.86 and an impressive strike rate of 95.15.
Some of her best innings came against high-calibre opposition, including her back-to-back centuries which guided India to a 3-0 series win against South Africa in June.
Mandhana also smashed a ton in the series decider against New Zealand in October. She went on to showcase her ability to dominate the best bowling in the world with another defiant century in Perth against Australia in a losing cause in December.
Though Mandhana’s superb 105 at the WACA in Perth came in a losing cause, it was her effort that pushed the defending world champions closer to the target.
Despite India struggling to score runs and wickets falling at the other end, Mandhana remained steadfast on a drying wicket unleashing her array of strokes, hitting 14 fours and one six in her impressive century, which came off 109 balls.
Azmatullah Omarzai named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, known for his dynamic pace bowling and powerful batting, was on Monday named the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2024.
The 24-year-old built on an impressive 2023 to become one of the world’s leading One-Day International performers last year.
Omarzai also enjoyed a strong year in T20Is and franchise cricket, but it was in ODIs where he proved most influential.
He finished the year as his national team’s second-highest run scorer behind Rahmanullah Gurbaz and second-highest wicket-taker behind AM Ghazanfar, with Afghanistan winning four of their five ODI series in 2024.
He scored 417 runs while taking 17 wickets in 14 matches last year.
His consistent performances powered Afghanistan to four consecutive series wins over Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
The Afghanistan all-rounder was a standout performer with bat and ball throughout the year, scoring his runs at an average of 52.12 and bagging his wickets at 20.47.
Omarzai’s brilliance lay not just in the overall numbers but in his individual performances, starting off in his very first ODI of the year, where he smashed an unbeaten 149 in a remarkable rearguard effort in the defeat against Sri Lanka.
A destructive 86 not out from just 50 deliveries against South Africa was another memorable performance, with his rapid scoring helping set up a crushing win in the second ODI to win the series.
