Jasprit Bumrah, Joe Root Nominated for ICC Test Cricketer Of The Year; Here's How They Performed In 2024

Jasprit Bumrah, Joe Root and others have been nominated for the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award.

India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been nominated for the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award after his superb performance in the longest format of the game in 2024. The 31-year-old Bumrah is also in fine form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. 

Apart from Bumrah, England's Joe Root, Harry Brook and Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis have also been nominated for the coveted award. 

Let's look at the performances of Jasprit Bumrah, Joe Root, Harry Brook and Kamindu Mendis in Test cricket in 2024:

Joe Root: 1556 Runs From 17 Tests

England captain Joe Root continued his impressive run in the longest format of the game in 2024. In 17 Tests, Root compiled his second-best annual run-tally - 1556 Runs - in Tests - second only to his 1708 runs from 2021. 

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.

Memorable performance

A memorable 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.

Jasprit Bumrah: 71 wickets From 13 Tests

Having made his comeback in Test cricket following his recovery from a recurring back injury in 2023, Bumrah dominated the bowling charts in 2024.

Playing 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.

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 famous 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: 1049 Runs From Nine Tests

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 commanding 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.

Memorable performance

Mendis was the leading performer 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 scored an unbeaten 182 off 250 deliveries - his best-ever Test score. 

Harry Brook: 1100 Runs From 12 Tests

England batter Harry Brook emerged as a breakthrough performer in the longest format in 2024. 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. After his impactful performance 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).