ICC announce Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year Award for 2024

Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been named the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2024, following a phenomenal year in red-ball cricket. Bumrah’s exceptional performances helped India remain competitive in the ICC World Test Championship standings, as he excelled in both home and away conditions.  

After returning to Test cricket in late 2023 following a back injury, the 31-year-old delivered his best-ever annual haul. He claimed 71 wickets in 13 matches, finishing as the leading wicket-taker of 2024. His remarkable average of 14.92 and strike rate of just 30.1 highlight his dominance during a high-scoring era in Test cricket.  

Bumrah's tally of 71 wickets makes him only the fourth Indian bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a calendar year, joining legends like Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev. Remarkably, he is the first bowler in Test history to take 70 wickets by maintaining an average below 20 (19.4) in a calendar year.  

The Indian pacer’s brilliance began with an eight-wicket haul in Cape Town, securing a memorable win over South Africa. He followed this up with a stellar performance in the five-Test home series against England, taking 19 wickets as India triumphed 4-1.  

However, Bumrah’s crowning achievement came during the Border-Gavaskar Series in Australia, where he claimed an extraordinary 32 wickets in five matches and was named Player of the Series. It was in this series that Bumrah reached the milestone of 200 Test wickets, becoming the 12th Indian bowler to achieve this feat.  

His most notable performance was in the first Test against Australia in Perth. Despite India being bowled out for 150 on the first day, Bumrah led a remarkable comeback, taking 5/30 in the first innings. After India posted a commanding total of 534, he struck again with figures of 3/42, leading India to a historic 295-run victory and handing Australia their first loss at the venue.