India’s rising pace sensation, Arshdeep Singh, has been named the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2024.
The left-arm pacer pipped Pakistan’s middle-order batter Babar Azam, Australia’s aggressive top-order batter Travis Head, and Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza to win the coveted Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award.
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.
He went on to cement his reputation as one of the leading powerplay and death bowlers in the game.
Arshdeep Singh enjoyed a phenomenal year, standing out with an impressive tally of 36 wickets from 18 matches, boasting a remarkable bowling average of 13.5 and recording the best bowling figures of 4 for just 9 runs.
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.
His most memorable performance unfolded in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa, where his skilful death bowling, complemented by the expertise of fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah, played a pivotal role in securing victory for India.