The four nominees of the Men’s Test Player Award of the year 2024 have been revealed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), as only one Indian player has been able to make his inclusion, while two batters from the England side have been added, while the rest is from Sri Lanka.
The first player of the nomination by ICC of the Test players is the former captain of the England side, Joe Root, who finished the year as the leading run-getter of the period with 1556 runs in 17 games at an average of 55.57. He continues to impress in the longest format, as it’s his second-most runs in a year after his 1708 in 2021.
With six hundred alongside the five half-centuries on his name, Root has been one of the most consistent performers for the Three Lions. His impressive run with the bat saw him getting shouldered with the fifth-highest Test tons (36) alongside Rahul Dravid. The best moment of the year for him was the 262-run knock against Pakistan, his sixth double century, putting him in the same line with Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar in this aspect.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Speaks On Rishabh Pant’s Jaw-dropping Dismissals During 4th Melbourne Test
The second member of the ICC award list is the premier fast bowler of the Indian side, Jasprit Bumrah, who has collected 71 wickets in the ongoing year in 13 games at an average of 14.92. The right-arm pacer made a cracking comeback in the year from his back injury in 2023, finishing with the most wickets in the ongoing year.
Two England batters feature in the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer Award 2024
Whether it’s the benign tracks of India or the pace and bounce of South Africa and Australia, the Ahmedabad-born has stood out with golden performances, consistently. The best moment for him was during the opening Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, when, under his leadership, the blue brigade gained a 295-run victory at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Bumrah finished with eight wickets in that fixture to earn the ‘Player of the Match’ award and has now topped the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings as well.
The third player on the list in the ICC award is the youngster from Sri Lanka, Kamindu Mendis, who earned 1049 Test runs in nine games at an average of 74.92. He became the sixth batter to get 1000 runs in Men’s Tests across the year. The most notable was him becoming the joint-third quickest to get 1000 Test runs- which equaled Sir Donald Bradman’s 13-inning mark to reach the milestones.
He averaged more than any of the batters who played more than two Tests in a calendar year, a staggering 74.92. His performance has kept Sri Lanka in their race to their maiden final qualification of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2024-25 at Lord’s.
The biggest memorable moment for the all-rounder was when he smashed 182 runs in 250 runs, his highest of the format, to help the side earn a 2-0 series sweep over New Zealand in Galle.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Admits ‘Mental Disturbance’ Ahead Of 5th Sydney Test!! Vows To Develop
The fourth player on the ICC list is the middle-order batter from England, Harry Brook, who ended with 1100 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 55. The strike rate of 85 was quite astonishing, and how he saved the side from multiple occasions in their struggle at the top order, especially during the first two Tests in New Zealand.
The best memory of the year for the Yorkshire batter is when he dashed a 317-run knock in 322 batters, shouldering on 29 boundaries and three sixes to lead the side to a massive victory in Multan against Pakistan by innings and 47 runs.