DUBAI — India’s
leading wicket-taker of 2024, Arshdeep Singh, has been named the ICC Men’s T20I
Cricketer of the Year at the ICC Awards on Saturday.
The left-arm pacer 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 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. And 2024 was the year when Arshdeep fully established himself as
a world-class bowler in T20 International cricket, taking bucket-loads of
wickets with the new ball and proving to be consistently economical at the
death on a variety of surfaces.
Arshdeep was the leading Indian wicket-taker in T20Is in the
year, bagging 36 wickets in just 18 games. He played a huge part in steering
India to the title at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and stepped up as leader of
the attack as the selectors built a new era for the T20 squad following the
triumph in the Caribbean.
Only four players in the world took more T20I wickets than
Arshdeep in the calendar year – Saudi Arabia’s Usman Najeeb (38), Sri Lanka’s
Wanindu Hasaranga (38), UAE’s Junaid Siddique (40) and Hong Kong’s Ehsan Khan
(46) – with all four playing more matches. Of those bowlers, only Hasaranga
featured for a full-member nation.
Arshdeep took his wickets at an average of just 15.31 and,
despite predominantly bowling in the powerplay and death overs, finished the
year with an economy rate of 7.49. He was a constant wicket-taking threat,
taking his wickets at a strike rate of 10.80.
Arshdeep had a number of impressive displays in the year,
not least when he ripped through the USA in New York during the T20 World Cup
group stage, bagging remarkable returns of 4/9 in his four overs.
But Arshdeep’s most significant performance of the year came
on the biggest stage of all, as he played a huge part in helping India
successfully defend their total of 176 in the World Cup final in Barbados.
As part of a pace trio with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya
that effectively won the game for India, Arshdeep’s terrific figures of 2/20
from four overs only tell part of the story.
Excellent with the new ball up top, Arshdeep struck in the
powerplay to have the dangerous South African skipper Aiden Markram caught
behind in just the third over. And when India were in need of a wicket in the
middle overs it was Arshdeep that provided the breakthrough, dismissing a set
Quinton de Kock when the Proteas looked to be in control of the chase.
India’s collective effort at the death was astonishing as
South Africa pulled up seven runs short of their target, and Arshdeep played a
huge role in that, returning to the attack to bowl the penultimate over with
South Africa requiring 20 from 12 deliveries.
Arshdeep delivered a near-perfect death over under the
greatest pressure, conceding just four runs to leave Hardik Pandya with 16 runs
to defend in the final over, a job that he spectacularly did.
Brilliance in the powerplay, a wicket in the middle overs,
and economical excellence at the death – Arshdeep stepped up when it mattered
most.
Earlier in the day, Arshdeep was also named in the ICC Men's
T20I Team of the Year led by Rohit Sharma and also featuring Pandya and Bumrah
as other Indian players.
