
Jasprit Bumrah Named ICC Test Cricketer Of The Year
NEW DELHI (ANI)- 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. He played a key role in keeping India in contention for 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 India’s series wins against England and Bangladesh at home, and he also rose to the occasion in South Africa and Australia.
Bumrah topped the Test wicket-taking charts in 2024 with 71 wickets, well clear of second-placed Gus Atkinson of England (52 wickets in 11 matches). He bowled a staggering 357 overs, maintaining a phenomenal average of 2.96 in a quick-scoring era of Test cricket. His overall average for the year was an outstanding 14.92, with a strike rate of just 30.1.
Bumrah’s 71-wicket haul makes him the fourth Indian bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a calendar year, following Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev. None of the 17 bowlers in Test history to take 70+ wickets in a calendar year did so with an average as low as Bumrah’s.
His remarkable 2024 haul began with India’s memorable Test win in Cape Town against South Africa, where he claimed eight wickets across two innings, helping India win by eight wickets. He then bagged 19 wickets in the five-Test series at home against England, as India triumphed 4-1.
However, Bumrah delivered his magnum opus in the high-stakes Border-Gavaskar Series in Australia, finishing with 32 wickets from five Tests and being named Player of the Series. During the series, 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. With India starting 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.
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