Dubai, Jan 28: India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah on Tuesday won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC men’s Cricketer of the Year after delivering “a master-class in skill, precision, and relentless consistency” across formats in a record-shattering 2024.
The 31-year-old was adjudged the ICC’s Test Cricketer of the Year on Monday and was also named in the Test Team of the Year last week.
“Jasprit Bumrah has been honoured with the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year at the ICC Awards, recognising his extraordinary 2024, in which he dominated opponents in the longest as well as the shortest format of the game,” the ICC said.
Bumrah played a key role across formats for India as he became the fifth winner of the award from the country after Rahul Dravid (2004), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Ravichandran Ashwin (2016) and Virat Kohli (2017, 2018).
“The pacer’s brilliance was reflected in his ICC Test Bowling Rankings, where he crossed the elusive 900-point mark, ending the year with a record-breaking 907 points – the highest for any Indian bowler in history,” the governing body stated in its tribute.
“Across formats, Bumrah’s 2024 exploits were a masterclass in skill, precision, and relentless consistency, as he shattered record after record and cemented his place as the world’s premier fast bowler,” it added.
Bumrah had a stellar year 2024 in which he played a decisive role for India with 15 wickets in their title-winning campaign in the T20 World Cup in the Americas and also became the fastest Indian pacer to reach 200 Test wickets with a bowling average of sub-20, which is also the best in history.
“I’m very happy with the honour, but I don’t let myself get too high. My feet are on the ground and I’m really happy with the accolades that I get,” the amiable bowler from Gujarat said in a video statement.
At the T20 World Cup, his 15 wickets came at an astonishing average of 8.26 and an economy of just 4.17, making him the Player of the Tournament.
He also garnered 900 points in ICC Test bowling rankings and ended the year with 907 points, which is the highest for any Indian bowler in history.
In Tests, Bumrah finished the year with 71 wickets in only 13 matches at an average of 14.92, which was also the second best among fast bowlers to former India captain Kapil Dev’s 100 wickets in 1983.
The right-arm pacer was at the peak of his performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under towards the end of 2024, snaffling 32 wickets in five Tests.
Overall, Bumrah claimed 77 wickets in the World Test Championship points table for India but the two-time finalists failed to make a third appearance in the summit clash for the 2023-25 cycle.
Kerr named Women’s Cricketer of the Year
New Zealand all-rounder Melie Kerr made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Kiwi recipient of the prestigious Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, earning the title of ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year for her exceptional performances in 2024.
The 24-year-old stood out among her peers, surpassing Laura Wolvaardt, Chamari Athapaththu, and Annabel Sutherland to claim the top honour in women’s cricket.
Kerr is not only the first New Zealander to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy but also the first Kiwi to be recognised as ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in any category.
First introduced in 2017, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy has been awarded to just three players prior to Kerr – Australia’s Ellyse Perry, India’s Smriti Mandhana, and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, each of whom has won the award twice. (PTI)