India's star pacer Arshdeep Singh has been named ICC Men's T20I cricketer of the year 2024 following his back-to-back stellar performances in the shortest format of the game.
Arshdeep Singh takes away T20I cricketer of the year award
Arshdeep Singh played an instrumental role in India's T20 World Cup 2024 title triumph in the Caribbean and USA. Arshdeep was a force to reckon with in the marquee tournament in which India ended their 11-year-long drought of ICC Trophy by clinching the title. Arshdeep's performance solidified his reputation as a premier powerplay and death overs specialist in the T20 format.
The 25-year-old left-arm pacer has consistently shown immense promise, earning the trust and confidence of the Indian team since his international debut in 2022.
The year 2024 proved to be a breakthrough year for Arshdeep, firmly establishing him as a world-class T20I bowler. He consistently claimed crucial wickets with the new ball and maintained exceptional economy rates in the death overs across diverse pitches.
Arshdeep Singh emerged as India's leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals during the year, claiming an impressive 36 wickets in just 18 matches. His outstanding performances played a crucial role in India's triumphant T20 World Cup campaign. As the selectors embarked on building a new era for the T20 squad following this victory, Arshdeep stepped up as a leader of the attack.
Only four bowlers worldwide surpassed Arshdeep's wicket tally in 2024: Usman Najeeb (Saudi Arabia), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Junaid Siddique (UAE), and Ehsan Khan (Hong Kong). Notably, Hasaranga was the only bowler from a full-member nation to achieve a higher wicket count. However, all four of these bowlers played more matches than Arshdeep.
Despite primarily operating in the high-pressure situations of the powerplay and death overs, Arshdeep maintained an impressive economy rate of 7.49. He consistently posed a significant wicket-taking threat, achieving a remarkable strike rate of 10.80 and an average of just 15.31.
Arshdeep Singh displayed several impressive performances throughout the year, none more remarkable than his spell against the USA during the T20 World Cup group stage in New York. He delivered a devastating performance, claiming 4 wickets for just 9 runs in his four overs.
However, Arshdeep's best show arguably came on the grandest stage of all: the T20 World Cup Final in Barbados. He played a crucial role in helping India successfully defend their target of 176.
As part of a formidable pace trio alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, who collectively guided India to victory, Arshdeep's outstanding figures of 2/20 in four overs only partially reflect his immense impact on the match.
Recently, Arshdeep became India's leading wicket taker in T20Is. In the first T20I against England, Arshdeep Singh notched two wickets to surpass Yuzvendra Chahal to become Indian bowler with most T20I scalps.