ICC reveals Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year nominees

On Sunday, December 29, the International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed the nominees for the Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award. Arshdeep Singh, Sikandar Raza, Travis Head, and Babar Azam were the four cricketers who made the cut. However, some fans were surprised to see Jasprit Bumrah, who was the Player of the Tournament in the 2024 T20 World Cup, missing from the list.

Speaking about the performances of the nominated players, Arshdeep made a mark during the year as he finished with an impressive tally of 36 wickets from 18 matches at an average of 13.50. He produced some fine performances during the T20 World Cup and gave excellent support to Bumrah. In the finals, he conceded just four runs in the penultimate over against South Africa. India went on to win the match by seven runs. Arshdeep was the joint-highest wicket-taker at the marquee event, bagging 17 wickets from eight games at 12.65.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza's best efforts weren't enough to take his side to the World Cup. However, he produced consistent performances throughout the year. He scored 573 runs from 24 matches and picked up 24 wickets. Raza helped Zimbabwe set up the highest T20I score ever as his 33-ball century took the African nation to a whopping score of 344/4 in 20 overs against Gambia in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier. He also registered his best figures in the shortest format of 5/18 against Rwanda in the same tournament.

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam didn't have a memorable time with the bat in the Test circuit in 2024 but he produced fine performances in T20Is. In 24 matches, the right-handed batter scored 738 runs at an average of 33.54 and a strike rate of 133.21. He registered six fifties in the year, including a match-winning 42-ball 75 against Ireland in the T20 World Cup. Babar is just eight runs short of becoming the highest run-getter in T20I cricket. Rohit Sharma currently sits at the top with 4,231 runs.

Also Read: SA vs PAK 2024-25: Babar Azam becomes third player to score 4000 runs in all three formats

Travis Head has turned heads this year by playing some breathtaking knocks across formats. In the T20I circuit, the Australian batter has amassed 539 runs from 15 matches at an impressive average of 38.50 and an awe-inspiring strike rate of 178.47. His 539 runs are the second-best ever for an Australian in a calendar year. Head was the third-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup, scoring 255 runs from seven matches at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 158.39.