Jasprit Bumrah’s rivals for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 announced

The nominations for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 have been announced with four star cricketers having made the list. Two out of four cricketers are from England and the remaining two players are Jasprit Bumrah and Travis Head.

Both Bumrah and Head have had a stellar year across formats and their names were somewhat expected in this list. The other two players are Joe Root and Harry Brook who have been superb with the bat. All these players are the nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

Also read: ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 nominees revealed, Smriti Mandhana shockingly snubbed

ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 nominees: Travis Head

Travis Head had an excellent year in 2023 and he continued his good run this year as well. He scored 608 runs in nine Tests at an average of 40.53 with a best of 152. Head did not play any ODI match this year.

However, he played 15 T20Is as an opener and impressed everyone with his ability to score quick runs at the top. A free-flowing batter, who relies on his hand-eye coordination, Travis Head has scored 539 runs in 15 T20Is at a strike rate of 178.47.

Travis Head was the lone shining light in Australia's disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign having scored 255 runs in seven matches at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 158.38. He was the third-highest run-getter of the tournament but found no support from the other batters in the team.

In Test cricket, the left-hander was pivotal in Australia's push to the WTC final. In the ongoing Test series against India, he is currently the highest run-getter despite failing in both the innings of the Boxing Day Test.

ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 nominees: Joe Root

Joe Root didn't play any white-ball format this year but his Test numbers were enough to get him a place among the nominees. Root scored 1556 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 55.57 with the best of 262 against Pakistan.

Root had a memorable year in Test cricket as he climbed to the fifth spot in the list of most hundreds in Test cricket. He scored six hundreds in Tests and reached more than 1000 runs in a year for the fifth time ever.

While he is not among the contentions for T20Is, Joe Root is likely to play a key role in England's ODI team for the upcoming Champions Trophy. He has an excellent record in ODIs and is a fabulous player of pace and spin.

ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 nominees: Harry Brook

Joe Root's teammate Harry Brook too had a great year in Test cricket. Brook scored 110 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 55 with the best of 317 against Pakistan. Batting at No. 5, he formed great partnerships with Root and helped England with wins in Pakistan and New Zealand.

He was the second-highest run-scorer in the series with 350 runs at an average of 70. Brook also had a good time with the bat in England's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign where they were knocked out of the semi-finals.

Harry Brook scored 145 runs in eight matches of the tournament at an average of 72.50 and a strike rate of 157.60. He is a star for the future and is likely to play big roles in the future for his team.

ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 nominees: Jasprit Bumrah

The only bowler in the list for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 is Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has emerged as the best bowler across formats over the last few years. He picked up 71 wickets in just 13 Tests at an average of 14.92 with a best of 6-45.

The 31-year-old also picked up 15 wickets in 8 T20Is that he played this year at an average of 8.26 and an excellent economy rate of 4.17. All these matches came in the T20 World Cup 2024. Bumrah helped India win the title with a stunning performance in the whole tournament, including the final.

Jasprit Bumrah has been India's best player in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well. While the other players are struggling, Bumrah is at the top of his game and is carrying India single-handedly.