Dubai
Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has been selected for the ICC Men’s T20 Cricketer of the Year. He has performed brilliantly for the Indian team. He won the T20 World Cup in Barbados. Arshdeep will compete with Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, Australia’s Travis Head and former Pakistan captain Babar Azam for the annual honor in the shortest format. Jasprit Bumrah’s selective T20 performances have given Arshdeep an opportunity to perform better as India’s main fast bowler in this format. Arshdeep took 36 wickets in 18 matches in 2022, just one behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 37, but in significantly fewer matches. Compensating for the lack of a left-arm fast bowler, Arshdeep produced match-winning performances in all conditions, including a crucial contribution to India’s T20 World Cup victory. His finest moment came in the final, where he dismissed Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock and bowled the 19th over, helping the Rohit Sharma-led side win their second T20 title.
Raza continued to shine for Zimbabwe, making the shortlist for the third consecutive year. The 39-year-old all-rounder led his team on an unbeaten run in the Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-regional Africa Qualifier Group B, scoring 199 runs and taking 10 wickets. His best performance came in the T20 series against India in July this year, where he took 3 for 25 on a difficult pitch to ensure a 13-run win, breaking important partnerships and scripting an upset.
Babar was Pakistan’s leading T20 run-scorer in 2023, scoring six fifties and maintaining a strike rate of 133.21. He is close to becoming the highest run-scorer in T20 International cricket by surpassing Rohit Sharma. His brilliant inning of 75 runs off 42 balls against Ireland helped Pakistan win the series.
Australia’s Head showcased his versatility in 2024, scoring 539 T20 international runs at a strike rate of 178.47. He was the third highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup with 255 runs. His explosive inning of 59 runs off 23 balls in the powerplay against England led Australia to a spectacular win in Southampton. Despite Australia’s exit from the World Cup, Head’s consistent performances established him as one of the finest T20 International batsmen.
