India fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been announced as the recipient of the 2024 ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year. Bumrah took an eye-watering 71 wickets while bowling 357 overs in 13 matches at an average of 14.92 in 2024.
Bumrah’s 71 scalps in 2024 made him the fourth Indian bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a calendar year after Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev. These were enough for him to beat the competition from Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis and the England batting duo of Harry Brook and Joe Root to take the prestigious award.
Bumrah’s incredible 2024 started with India’s memorable Test win against South Africa in Cape Town, where he picked eight wickets. He then went on to bag 19 wickets in India, beating England 4-1 margin, with the highlight being a match haul of nine wickets and helping India to a series-leveling win in Visakhapatnam.
Bumrah’s standout performance in Tests in 2024 came when he took 32 wickets in five games, at an average of 13.06 and strike rate of 28.37, during the high-pressure Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series in Australia and took away the Player of the Series trophy.
It was during the series in Australia that Bumrah crossed the 200 Test wickets milestone, becoming the 12th Indian bowler to do so. However, this did not help the visitors avoid a 3-1 series defeat.
