Two England batting mainstays, India’s pace spearhead, and a new star in Sri Lankan ranks make for a glittering list of nominees for ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of The Year.
Joe Root (England)
1556 runs from 17 Tests, average 55.57
The year that was
2024 saw the former England captain continue his impressive run in the longest format of the game.
Across 17 Tests, Joe Root compiled his second-best annual run-tally in Tests - second only to his 1708 runs from 2021. It was also the fifth instance of Root scoring over 1000 Test runs in a calendar year.
With six Test hundreds to go alongside five half-centuries, Root was a consistent performer for England - both home and away. His impressive run with the bat saw Root amass joint-fifth highest tons in Tests (36) alongside Rahul Dravid.
In addition to his batting exploits, Root also provided an extra spin option, and impressed with a four-wicket haul in the marquee series against India.
Memorable performance
A milestone innings for Root came in Multan, during the first of three Tests against Pakistan. The England top-order batter amassed a career-best score of 262 - his sixth double hundred, putting him on level terms with the likes of Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar.
Combining alongside Harry Brook (317), Root helped England post the fourth-highest innings total in Test history, eventually scripting a famous win by an innings and 47 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah (India)
71 wickets from 13 Tests, average 14.92
The year that was
Having returned to the Test arena following his recovery from a recurring back injury in 2023, Bumrah dominated the bowling charts in 2024.
Featuring across 13 Tests in the calendar year, Bumrah delivered his best-ever annual tally - 71 wickets - finishing the year with more Test wickets than any of his counterparts.
Be it the pace-conducive conditions in South Africa and Australia, or tougher conditions for quicks at home, Bumrah was equally impressive through the year.
However, it was on India’s tour of Australia that the pace spearhead produced his magnum opus.
Memorable performance
Leading India in the absence of full-time skipper Rohit Sharma, Bumrah put in a captain’s display to guide the visitors to a mammoth 295-run win in Perth.
With India having been dismissed for 150 in the first innings, Bumrah wrestled back control of the match with a five-wicket haul that helped set in motion a famous comeback. With Australia chasing 534 in the last innings, the Indian skipper also snapped three wickets to wrap up the win.
The performance won him the player of the match award and propelled Bumrah back to the top of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings.
Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka)
1049 runs from nine Tests, average 74.92
The year that was
Sri Lanka’s new middle-order mainstay was the sixth batter to score over 1000 runs in Men’s Tests across the year.
Putting in a admirable performances both home and away, Mendis boasted incredible numbers. The most notable was him becoming the joint-third quickest to score 1000 Test runs - equalling Sir Don Bradman’s 13-innings mark to reach the milestone.
Mendis averaged more than any of the batters who played more than two Tests in the calendar year - a staggering 74.92 from nine matches.
His performances with the bat helped Sri Lanka push their claim for their first-ever appearance in the ICC World Test Championship Final with wins over New Zealand, England and Bangladesh.
Memorable performance
Mendis was the leading protagonist in Sri Lanka’s 2-0 series sweep against New Zealand at home, scoring twin hundreds across the two Tests.
His highlight innings came in Galle, where he stitched an unbeaten 182 off 250 deliveries - his best-ever Test score. It was a player of the match display that helped the hosts wrap up the series win in Galle.
Harry Brook (England)
1100 runs from 12 Tests, average 55.00
The year that was
A flagbearer of England’s quickfire brand of batting, Harry Brook emerged as a breakthrough performer in the longest format.
The 25-year-old scored 1100 runs at a strike rate of 85.00, comprising three fifties and four hundred plus scores, which also included a maiden triple century.
A noticeable trait in his performances was the fact that most of his runs (723) came away from home while playing the same number of games as he did in England (6).
To wrap the year on a successful note, Brook closed the tour of New Zealand as the top-scorer to round off England’s first series win in the country since 2008. Owing to his impact with the bat, Brook managed to displace Joe Root to reign supreme in the Men’s ICC Test Rankings.
Memorable performance
As England won the opening Test against Pakistan in Multan back in October, Brook emerged as England’s leading performer.
Scoring his first-ever triple hundred - a blistering 317 off 322 deliveries - the right-handed batter guided England to their third highest Test total (and fourth overall). The innings saw him nail 29 fours and three sixes. It led to a massive win for the visitors by an innings and 47 runs.
--ICC
