• The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the latest set of winners in the ongoing ICC Awards 2024 on January 27. 

• Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah was crowned the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year.

• Indian opener Smriti Mandhana won her second ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year.

• In the ODI category, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai clinched the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award.

• Arshdeep Singh, India’s leading wicket-taker of 2024, has been named the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year at the ICC Awards.

• Bumrah claimed the award after a sensational year with the ball saw him take 71 wickets in the longest format at a staggering average of just 14.92. The 31-year-old returned his best Test haul in 2024, taking 19 more than his nearest rival and consolidating his position as the number one ranked bowler in the ICC Men’s Test Bowler rankings. Bumrah overcame fellow nominees England’s Harry Brook and Joe Root, plus ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year Kamindu Mendis to win the award, becoming the first Indian cricketer since Virat Kohli in 2018 to do so.

• Smriti Mandhana won her first ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award since 2018 after a stellar year in which she amassed 747 runs at an average of 57.46. The Indian opener continues to thrive on the international stage, and ended the year with more runs and centuries than any other player, passing three figures in sublime knocks against New Zealand, Australia and in back-to-back contests against South Africa. The 28-year-old triumphed in a hotly contested category, seeing off South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, Australia’s Annabel Sutherland, and 2023’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu.

• Arshdeep Singh starred as India ended their wait for a major ICC trophy win with victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and USA back in June, and has gone on to cement his reputation as one of the leading powerplay and death bowlers in the game. The 25-year-old left-armer has long been tipped for the top, and India put a great deal of faith in his ability since making his full international debut in 2022.

• By winning the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, Afghanistan’s talented all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai capped a thrilling year with 417 runs at an average of 52.12, and 17 wickets at 20.47. Azmatullah began the year hitting his maiden century in the format, a career-best score of 149 not out against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Another half-century followed two matches later against the same opposition before more impressive scores came against South Africa and Bangladesh. The all-rounder’s wicket haul lands him in the top ten in the format across the year, highlighted by another career milestone when he took his best figures of four for 18 against Zimbabwe in December. A remarkable year of sustained performances saw the 24-year-old land the award from the West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford and Sri Lankan pair Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga.

Other major awards: 

• ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Annerie Dercksen (South Africa)

• ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka)

• ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Esha Oza (United Arab Emirates)

• ICC Men's Associate Cricketer of the Year: Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia)

• ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year: Melie Kerr (New Zealand)

• ICC Umpire of the Year: Richard Illingworth (England).

International Cricket Council (ICC)

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global governing body for cricket. 

• Representing 108 member nations, the ICC governs and administrates the game and works with its members to grow the sport. 

• The ICC is responsible for the staging of all ICC events.

• The ICC presides over the ICC Code of Conduct, playing conditions, the Decision Review System and other ICC regulations. 

• It also appoints all match officials that officiate at all sanctioned  international matches.

• Through the Anti-Corruption Unit it coordinates action against corruption and match fixing.

• It was founded on June 15, 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference, at Lord’s under the chairmanship of the MCC president, the Earl of Chesterfield. England, South Africa and Australia were its founding members.

• In the late 1920s, regular meetings took place and ICC began to emerge as an organisation. Even then it was still very much an adjunct of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Its chairman was always the MCC president, and the MCC secretary performed the same function for ICC.

• When the Imperial Cricket Conference met in England in 1926, it permitted three new Test playing nations — West Indies, New Zealand and India. 

• India played its first Test match against England on June 25, 1932

• In July 1965, the ICC changed its name to International Cricket Conference.

• The change of name to International Cricket Council came in 1989.

• By 1993, the administrative link with MCC was broken. 

• In August 2005, ICC left its base at Lord’s to set up its new headquarters in Dubai.

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