India’s pace bowling maestro Jasprit Bumrah has been named the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024, while New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr has won the Women’s Cricketer of the Year award.
On Tuesday, the ICC announced its top award winners, Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy winners Rachael Heyhoe and Bumrah, respectively.
It was Bumrah’s second award in two days as he was also named the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year on Monday, while Kerr won the Women’s T20 Cricketer of the Year award on Saturday.
Bumrah, who is also India’s Test vice-captain, returned to the five-day format in late 2023 following a lengthy absence due to a back injury.
The right-arm quick, 31, was the leading wicket-taker in international Test cricket in 2024, topping the charts with 71, well clear of second-placed Gus Atkinson of England (52 in 11 matches).
His year-over-year bowling average was an astonishing 14.92, and he finished 2024 with a 30.1% strike rate.
After being named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, Bumrah said, “I am truly honored to receive the Sir Garfield Sobers Award, and this recognition means so much to me.”
“I am grateful to the cricketing fraternity for this appreciation, which I share with India, my family, and my teammates. My main goal is to continue supporting the team and achieving our collective goals.
“It was incredibly special in 2024, both because I won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Barbados and because I contributed as much as I could across all three game formats.
“I give this award to bowlers all over the world who continue to inspire and strive for excellence, and to everyone who has backed me, the strength of hard work, and dreams.”
The tournament’s governing body awarded the award to Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis and England’s Harry Brook and Joe Root as well as Bumrah.
Smriti Mandhana won the second-place award for India’s women’s one-day international cricket team, a double success.
As the opening batter claimed her second ICC ODI award since 2018, she collected 747 runs on an average of 57.46 over the course of the year.
India’s all-format vice-captain Mandhana stated, “It is an enormous joy and a matter of pride to represent my country at the highest level and it makes me happy to play a role in the team’s success.”
“I want to give this award to my teammates, coaches, and family, who have been my life’s pillars of support.”
Azmatullah Omarzai, an all-rounder for Afghanistan, took 17 wickets and scored 417 runs for the year to win the men’s ODI title.
Unassuming pace bowler Arshdeep Singh, who played a vital role in India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in 2024, was named the Men’s T20 Cricketer of the Year.
Singh was also included in the all-star T20 Team of the Year, alongside compatriots Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Bumrah.
Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis, who had a breakthrough year with 1, 451 runs across all formats, was named the Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year honour as South African all-rounder Annerie Dercksen won in the women’s category.
Congratulations to the elite players selected for the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2024 ???? pic. twitter.com/VaPaV6m1bT
Full list of ICC Awards 2024 winners
Source: Aljazeera
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