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Indian pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah has been honoured as the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year for 2024, following his finest-ever performance in the red-ball format, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Bumrah was the standout bowler in the world in 2024, excelling in both home and away conditions and playing a key role in keeping India in contention in the ICC World Test Championship standings. Marking his return to Test cricket in late 2023 after a long absence due to a back injury, Bumrah amassed an incredible wicket tally and set multiple records. The right-arm quick was instrumental in home conditions as India registered series wins against England and Bangladesh, and he also rose to the occasion in away conditions in South Africa and Australia. Bumrah was the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2024, topping the charts with 71 wickets, well clear of second-placed Gus Atkinson of England (52 wickets in 11 matches). He bowled an eye-watering 357 overs in the format, maintaining a phenomenal average of 2.96 in a quick-scoring era of Test cricket. His average across the year was an outstanding 14.92, and he ended 2024 with an annual strike rate of just 30.1. Bumrah's 71-wicket haul makes him just the fourth Indian bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a calendar year, following in the footsteps of Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev. None of the 17 bowlers in Test history who have taken 70+ wickets in a calendar year did so with an average as low as Bumrah's. Bumrah's remarkable 2024 haul began with India's memorable Test win in Cape Town against South Africa, where he claimed eight wickets across two innings as India pinned down the Proteas by eight wickets. He then bagged 19 wickets during the five-Test series at home against England, as India triumphed 4-1. However, the seasoned pacer delivered his magnum opus in the high-stakes Border-Gavaskar Series in Australia, finishing with an incredible 32 wickets from five Tests and being named Player of the Series. It was during the series in Australia that Bumrah crossed the 200 Test wickets milestone, becoming the 12th Indian bowler to do so. He also set a unique record, becoming the only bowler in Test history with a minimum of 200 wickets to have an average of less than 20 (19.4). Among his standout performances, Bumrah's best came in the series opener against Australia in Perth. As India started without full-time skipper Rohit Sharma, Bumrah assumed the leadership role and led from the front in a famous win. After India was bowled out for 150 on the opening day, Bumrah wreaked havoc with the ball, taking five wickets for 30 runs to wrestle back the momentum. Later, after India set a mammoth total of 534, Bumrah returned with three more wickets to seal a monumental 295-run win, taking 3/42 as Australia suffered their first loss at the venue. (ANI)
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