The International Cricket Council (ICC) named India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as the  ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year

Bumrah emerged the winner from a competitive field of nominees shortlisted for the prestigious award including Australia’s Travis Head and the England duo of Harry Brook and Joe Root,  which recognizes the outstanding male cricketer across all international formats of the game during the calendar year for the  prestigious  Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. In doing so, he became the first Indian honoured with the award since former Indian skipper Virat Kohli in 2018.

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 with 32 scalps in an absorbing Border-Gavaskar five Test Match series in Australia, that saw him, win the Player of the Series award but also kept India in contention for the ICC World Test Championship for the third time in a row before the team fell short.

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.

The win also sees him join an elite group comprising Kohli (2018), Ravichandran 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.

"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. He excelled in both home and away conditions and proved to be a key contributor in keeping India in contention in the ICC World Test Championship standings, “ stated the ICC in a statement.

ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, Jasprit Bumrah on the occasion 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 focus remains on contributing to the team and striving to achieve our collective goals”.

Currently the  No.1 ranked bowler in the ICC Test Rankings Bumrah had become the fastest Indian pacer to reach 200 Test wickets, achieving the feat with a sub-20 bowling average - the best in history further, he further added, “ 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. 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.”

Photo Above: For his phenomenal year with the ball, ICC bestowed its the highest honour to Jasprit Bumrah -  Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year (Photo courtesy BCCI)