Dubai: An Indian who starred in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph joins a Zimbabwe ace and two quality batters from Pakistan and Australia in the nominees for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, media reports said.
Arshdeep Singh (India) Matches 18, Wickets 36, Average 13.5, BBI 4/9
According to an ICC report, the year that was with all-format bowling genius Jasprit Bumrah a selective pick for T20Is given important assignments in Tests and ODIs over the last few years, Arshdeep Singh has taken to and aced in the role of India’s primary pacer in the T20I format.
His 36 scalps over the years were the second-best by an India player in Men’s T20Is just one behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 37 wickets in 2022, albeit Arshdeep’s numbers came in merely 18 games as compared to Bhuvi’s 32. He is also the third best, with 33 scalps in 2022.
The seamer has filled in the much-needed left-arm pacer void in the shortest format for the Team in Blue, and was sensational across conditions, starring in key Indian wins at home and in West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa, according to an ICC report on Sunday.
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) Matches 24, 573 runs, Average 28.65, Highest score 133* Wickets 24, Average 22.25, BBI 5/18
The year that was Sikandar Raza makes it to the prestigious shortlist for the third year in a row. The all-rounder turned captain continues to deliver for the Chevrons in his 39th year, and was instrumental in their unbeaten run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup sub-regional Africa Qualifier Group B, smashing 199 runs and picking up 10 wickets.
Babar Azam (Pakistan) Matches 24, 738 runs, Average 33.54, Highest Score 75*
The year that was Despite a mixed year, no other Pakistan batter scored as many T20I runs as Babar Azam in the last 12 months.
With six fifties and close to a hundred boundaries, Babar was Pakistan’s mainstay and the year saw an improvement in his strike rate, with the batter clocking 133.21 runs every 100 deliveries.
Still only 30, Babar is primed to break Rohit Sharma’s record as the highest run-getter in T20I cricket soon, sitting just eight behind the Indian’s mark of 4231 runs.
Travis Head (Australia) Matches 15, 539 runs, Average 38.5, Highest Score 80
Getting his first regular run in the line-up since making his debut in 2016, Travis Head showed Australia his range as a T20I batter in 2024. His 539 runs are the second-best ever for an Australian in a calendar year and came at a strike rate of 178.47.
Impressing in explosive cameos against New Zealand as an opener at the start of the year, Head showed his full range of shots in the Indian Premier League and carried that form into the T20 World Cup 2024, the report said.
He was the third-highest run-getter with 255 runs, taking off at a strike rate of 158.38. It took India’s very best to stop Head from leading Australia towards another ICC tournament knockout place, but the southpaw still managed to smash his way to 76 off 43.
