Recognising his remarkable 2024, during which he dominated in both the longest and the shortest version of the game, Indian speed sensation Jasprit Bumrah has been rewarded with the esteemed Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year at the ICC Awards.
After Rahul Dravid (2004), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Ravichandran Ashwin (2016) and Virat Kohli (2017, 2018), the bowling talisman is the fifth recipient of the award from India, routing fellow nominees Travis Head, Joe Root and Harry Brook.
Jasprit Bumrah underlined why he is among the best, if not the best fast bowler in modern-day cricket in a year when the game typically favoured the batsmen.
As he broke record after record and established himself as the top fast bowler worldwide, Bumrah's 2024 exploits were a lesson in technique, accuracy, and relentless consistency across formats.
With a sub-20 bowling average - the best in history - the current top-ranked bowler in the ICC Test Rankings became the fastest Indian pacer to attain 200 Test wickets.
His ICC Test Bowling Rankings, where he broke the elusive 900-point milestone and finished the year with a record-breaking 907 points - the highest for any Indian bowler in history - showed the pacer's excellence.
Jasprit Bumrah's 2024 in numbers
Having led India's title-winning campaign in 17 years without winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, Bumrah dominated the event. Being the Player of the Tournament, his 15 wickets came at an amazing average of 8.26 and an economy of just 4.17.
At the T20 World Cup, his capacity to dominate the game at both ends of an innings transformed him into India's most powerful weapon.
Although Bumrah was rather good in white-ball cricket, his red-ball manoeuvres were just amazing.
Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah named ICC Men's Test Cricketer of 2024
Only second to Kapil Dev for the most by an Indian pacer in a calendar year, the 71 Test wickets the pacer recorded in just 13 matches rank most among all the bowlers in 2024.
Bumrah also concluded the year as the top wicket-taker in Test cricket, surpassing Gus Atkinson's 52 by a large margin.
Following good performances against Bangladesh and New Zealand, Bumrah attained hitherto unheard-of highs and levels later in the year in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, sweeping the Player of the Series award with his incredible 32 wickets across five Tests.
In the 2023–2025 WTC cycle, the 31-year-old's exceptional performance was again clear-cut; he claimed 77 wickets, a record for pacers in a single cycle.
Unforgettable performances
The speedster stepped up his game in the year's flagship ICC tournament against Pakistan with a mouth-watering 3-14 spell that turned the game's path towards India's ultimate six-run triumph in New York upside down.
To cap it off, India's victory in Bridgetown was much enhanced by his outstanding 2-18 from four overs, which included the crucial wickets of Reeza Hendricks and Marco Jansen in the final against the Proteas.
Starting his year with eight wickets against the Proteas in Cape Town, Bumrah set up a significant win and a series draw for India with a roaring six-wicket haul in the second innings.
Following that, the right-arm fast grabbed 19 dismissals from India's 4-1 series triumph over England at home, hence confirming India's place in the WTC Final contender.
Bumrah put up a fantastic one-man exhibition for the visitors in the much awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which saw him get praises from all over for his outstanding performance with the ball, therefore reinforcing his place at the top of the ICC Test Bowler Rankings.
Often choosing wickets and dictating terms almost at whim, the pacer left the Australian hitters in major difficulties during the course of his exploits with the ball, five-fors in Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne in the first four Tests of the series.
