Jasprit Bumrah became the first Indian pacer to be adjudged as the ICC Men’s Cricketer Of The Year after his strong performance in 2024.
Bumrah, who played a pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup victory in 2024, won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.
The Trophy is awarded to the ICC Men’s Cricketer Of The Year.
Bumrah emerged as the winner from a competitive field of nominees shortlisted for the prestigious award, which recognizes the outstanding male cricketer across all international formats of the game during the calendar year, the ICC said in a statement.
In 2024, he topped the wicket-taking charts in Tests and inspired India to their first ICC silverware in 11 years with a mercurial campaign at the Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
A dominant year with the ball in the longest format saw the 31-year-old take 71 wickets at a stunning average of just 14.92 – a career-best return and 19 more than his nearest rival.
Spearheading India’s bowling attack with sensational spells against South Africa, England and Bangladesh, Bumrah closed out a stellar year by finishing as the top wicket-taker in an absorbing Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
Bumrah’s exceptional performances also extended beyond Tests to India’s triumphant Men’s T20 World Cup campaign, taking 15 wickets at an average of just 8.26 and boasting an equally impressive economy rate of just 4.17.
Becoming only the second bowler to win the Player of the Tournament award at the event, he combined lethal pace with unwavering accuracy to inspire wins against Ireland, Pakistan, Afghanistan and England to name a few, before following up with a career-defining spell of two for 18 in a thrilling final against South Africa in Barbados.
Bumrah wins the coveted Sobers Trophy edging out Australia’s Travis Head and the England duo of Harry Brook and Joe Root.
In doing so, he becomes the first Indian honoured with the award since Virat Kohli in 2018.
The win also sees him join an elite group comprising Kohli (2018), R Ashwin (2016) and Rahul Dravid (2004) as Indians to have won both the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award in the same year.
ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, Jasprit Bumrah: “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 focus remains on contributing to the team and striving to achieve our collective goals.
“The year 2024 was incredibly special – winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados and also contributing as much as I could across all three formats of the game,” he said.
“I dedicate this award to everyone who has believed in me, the power of hard work and dreams, and to bowlers worldwide who continue to inspire and strive for excellence,” the ICC T20 Worldl Cup winning team’s member said.
