DUBAI, Jan 24: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday commenced announcements as part of the ICC Awards 2024 by revealing the first three ICC Teams of the Year – The ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year, and the ICC Men’s and Women’s ODI Teams of the Year.
On the first of five days of announcements, the standout XIs in both formats were revealed, selected by an independent panel of prominent cricket media the ICC Voting Academy on the basis of statistics and overall achievements in international cricket during the calendar year.
Announcements in the ICC Awards 2024 will continue on Saturday, with Men’s and Women’s T20I Teams revealed alongside the outstanding individual Men’s and Women’s T20I Cricketers of the Year.
Winners in 12 individual categories will be revealed each day until Tuesday, culminating in the most coveted and iconic prizes the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.
Winners in individual categories are determined by both the ICC Voting Academy and global fans, who registered over 1.5million votes at icc-cricket.com during a twelve-day voting period.
ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal (Ind), 2. Ben Duckett (Eng), 3. Kane Williamson (NZ), 4. Joe Root (Eng)
- Harry Brook (Eng), 6. Kamindu Mendis (SL), 7. Jamie Smith (Eng) (wk), 8. Ravindra Jadeja
(Ind), 9. Pat Cummins (Aus) (c), 10. Matt Henry (NZ) and 11. Jasprit Bumrah (Ind)
Australia’s Pat Cummins captains the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year for the second successive year, earning his place thanks to another memorable stint in which he guided his side to the ICC World Test Championship Final, overseeing victories against Pakistan, New Zealand and India, and picking up 37 wickets in his nine Tests at an average of 24.02.
India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal takes a spot atop the order after scoring 1,478 runs during the year at 54.74, which included double-centuries in back-to-back Tests against England in February and a sublime 161 against Australia in Perth. His opening partner is Ben Duckett, one of four Englishmen who appear, and another who scored over a thousand Test runs in the year (1,149).
Century-makers litter the middle order, comprised of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, English duo Joe Root and Harry Brook and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis.
Williamson notched 1,013 runs in 2024 at an average of almost 60, while Brook’s 1,100 calendar
runs were headlined by a record knock of 317 in victory over Pakistan in October. Mendis enjoyed
a breakthrough year, hitting five centuries and becoming the fastest to 1,000 Test runs in 75 years, while the evergreen Root scored more Test runs (1,556) and recorded more centuries (6) than anyone else.
Jamie Smith earns a spot as the designated wicketkeeper in the Test Team of the Year, six months after making his Test debut for England, thanks to 637 runs in nine Tests which included a maiden hundred against Sri Lanka in August.
Captain Cummins is joined in the bowling group by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja of India, who boasted 527 runs and 48 wickets in his Test year. Also with 48 wickets is New Zealand’s Matt Henry, the pacer making impressive contributions against Australia, India and England. Completing the list is top-ranked Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who excelled once more with ball in hand, topping the wicket-taking charts with 71 wickets in 2024 at a sensational average of 14.92.
ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year:
- Smriti Mandhana (Ind), 2. Laura Wolvaardt (SA) (c), 3. Chamari Athapaththu (SL)
- Hayley Matthews (WI), 5. Marizanne Kapp (SA), 6. Ash Gardner (Aus), 7. Annabel
Sutherland (Aus), 8. Amy Jones (Eng) (wk), 9. Deepti Sharma (Ind), 10. Sophie
Ecclestone (Eng) and 11. Kate Cross (Eng).
South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt leads the line for the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year and does so as opener following another momentous year with the bat, where she ended the year as the second highest runscorer in the format with 697 at an average of 87.12, which included a national record 184 not out against Sri Lanka in April.
Wolvaardt’s run tally is only bettered by her opening partner, India’s Smriti Mandhana, who flourished with 747 runs and four centuries in the calendar year against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
A supreme middle-order first features Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, whose unbeaten 195 in an epic chase against South Africa headlined her year in the 50-over game. Fellow all-rounder, the West Indies’ Hayley Matthews also adds plenty of firepower to the lineup, having struck 469 runs at an average of 78.16 and like Athapaththu, taking nine wickets during 2024.
South Africa’s fearsome all-rounder Marizanne Kapp earns a spot after 449 runs and 11 wickets during the year, with Australian duo Ash Gardner and Annabel Sutherland offering more batting and bowling options. Gardner sits at the summit of the Women’s ODI All-Rounder Rankings after 269
runs and 20 wickets during the year, while Sutherland capped a fine year with Player of the Series accolades against India and New Zealand in December.
England’s Amy Jones takes the gloves, and enjoyed an explosive year with 382 runs at an eye-catching strike rate of 107.60.
The lineup is completed by India’s Deepti Sharma 2024’s top wicket-taker (24), number one ranked bowler Sophie Ecclestone of England, who claimed 21 wickets at 12.71, and her compatriot Kate Cross the seamer amassing 19 wickets at an average of 18.00, which featured the best bowling figures in the year, six for 30 against Ireland in September.
Men’s ODI Team of the Year: 1. Saim Ayub (Pak), 2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afg)
- Pathum Nissanka (SL), 4. Kusal Mendis (SL) (wk), 5. Charith Asalanka (SL) (c)
- Sherfane Rutherford (WI), 7. Azmatullah Omarzai (Afg), 8. Wanindu Hasaranga (SL)
- Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pak), 10. Haris Rauf (Pak) and 11. AM Ghazanfar (Afg)
Asia dominates the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year. Pakistan youngster Saim Ayub follows his nomination for the ICC Emerging Men’s Player of the Year with an opening spot in the ODI XI. The 22-year-old amassed 515 runs in his nine outings, and notably striking centuries against Zimbabwe, and two against South Africa.
Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz joins him as opener, with three centuries of his own among 531 runs during the year.
Charith Asalanka is nominated captain and he forms the middle order alongside teammates Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. The trio ended the year as the top three highest ODI run-scorers for the year with Kusal topping the charts with 742 runs in a consistent year of competition.
All-rounders Sherfane Rutherford and Azmatullah Omarzai feature on the shortlist for the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, and earn their spot in the Team of the Year thanks to stellar contributions with bat and ball. Rutherford averaged over 106 with 425 runs during the year, while Azmatullah’s 417 runs was backed up by 17 wickets.
AM Ghazanfar began the year with impressive performances for Afghanistan in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in South Africa. An impressive entrance into senior cricket has seen the 18-year-old take 21 wickets in ODIs and earn a spot as a spin option alongside leading wicket-taker for the year, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (26 wickets).
Pace comes in the form of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, who took 15 and 13 wickets respectively during the year and starred as Pakistan recorded landmark wins against Australia
and South Africa at the latter end of the year.
(UNI)
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