Arshdeep Singh Receives ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year Award

Dubai, Jan 25 (NationPress) India's top wicket-taker of 2024, Arshdeep Singh, has been honored as the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year during the ICC Awards held on Saturday.

The left-arm pacer was instrumental as India concluded their wait for a significant ICC trophy by clinching victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which took place in the Caribbean and the USA in June. He has firmly established himself as one of the premier powerplay and death bowlers in the sport.

At just 25 years old, Arshdeep has been regarded as a top prospect for quite some time. Since making his full international debut in 2022, India has placed immense trust in his abilities. The year 2024 saw Arshdeep truly affirm his status as a world-class bowler in T20 International cricket, capturing numerous wickets with the new ball and maintaining an impressive economy rate in the death overs across various pitches.

Arshdeep excelled as the leading Indian wicket-taker in T20Is throughout the year, claiming 36 wickets in merely 18 matches. He played a pivotal role in guiding India to victory at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and emerged as a key figure in the bowling attack as the selectors ushered in a new era for the T20 side following their success in the Caribbean.

Only four bowlers globally secured more T20I wickets than Arshdeep this 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) – though all four participated in more matches. Notably, only Hasaranga represented a full-member nation.

Arshdeep achieved his wickets at an impressive average of 15.31 and, despite primarily bowling during the powerplay and death overs, concluded the year with an economy rate of 7.49. He consistently posed a wicket-taking threat, boasting a strike rate of 10.80.

Throughout the year, Arshdeep delivered several standout performances, particularly during the T20 World Cup group stage in New York, where he astonishingly claimed figures of 4/9 in his four overs against the USA.

However, his most significant showing transpired on cricket's grandest stage, where he was vital in assisting India to defend their score of 176 in the World Cup final held in Barbados.

As part of a pace trio alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, who effectively secured the victory for India, Arshdeep's excellent figures of 2/20 from four overs only tell part of the story.

With his outstanding performance with the new ball, Arshdeep dismissed the dangerous South African captain Aiden Markram caught behind in just the third over. When India required a wicket during the middle overs, it was Arshdeep who delivered, removing a well-set Quinton de Kock when the Proteas seemed to be in command of their chase.

India's collective effort during the death overs was remarkable, as South Africa fell short of their target by seven runs, with Arshdeep playing a crucial role, returning to bowl the penultimate over with South Africa needing 20 runs from 12 balls.

Under immense pressure, Arshdeep executed a near-flawless death over, conceding only four runs, thus leaving Hardik Pandya with 16 runs to defend in the final over—a task he accomplished spectacularly.

Brilliant in the powerplay, a wicket during the middle overs, and exemplary at the death—Arshdeep rose to the occasion when it mattered the most.

Earlier that day, Arshdeep was also recognized as part of the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year, captained by Rohit Sharma and including other Indian players like Pandya and Bumrah.