As ICC Awards 2024 bulletins moved into a 3rd day, the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) right now revealed the winners in 5 extra particular person classes – the ICC Rising Males’s and Ladies’s Cricketers of the 12 months, ICC Males’s and Ladies’s Affiliate Cricketers of the 12 months and the ICC Umpire of the 12 months.
The ICC Rising Cricketer of the 12 months awards acknowledge the excellent breakthrough gamers in worldwide cricket and the Males’s and Ladies’s awards singled out a gifted duo that loved landmark success in 2024.
Kamindu Mendis has been topped the ICC Rising Males’s Cricketer of the 12 months after a record-breaking spell noticed the Sri Lankan grow to be the quickest participant to succeed in 1,000 Take a look at runs in 75 years.
He returned to the Take a look at facet in March with an instantaneous affect, hanging twin centuries in a match in opposition to Bangladesh in Sylhet, and the 26-year-old used that platform to determine himself as one of many main Take a look at batters within the yr, hanging 1,049 runs in 9 Exams and hitting headlines when he additionally grew to become the primary participant to hit a half-century in every of his first eight matches.
South Africa’s Annerie Dercksen wins the ICC Rising Ladies’s Cricketer of the 12 months award, with the all-rounder integral within the Proteas run to the ICC Ladies’s T20 World Cup remaining within the UAE in October and having fun with success with the bat and ball in a number of codecs.
Regardless of celebrating debuts in ODI and Take a look at cricket in the course of the yr, it was the shortest format the place the 23-year-old made her best affect, hitting 161 runs at a mean of 32.20 and taking 5 wickets in the course of the yr.
Elsewhere, Namibia’s captain Gerhard Erasmus caps a stellar yr of excellent all-round performances in ODI and T20I cricket along with his second ICC Males’s Affiliate Cricketer of the 12 months award, whereas UAE skipper Esha Oza can be topped for the second time because the ICC Ladies’s Affiliate Cricketer of the 12 months, with runs and wickets flowing in one other spectacular yr.
Erasmus struck 4 half-centuries within the ICC Males’s Cricket World Cup League 2, whereas returning career-best figures of 5-28 in opposition to Nepal in Kathmandu. He additionally scored 4 half-centuries in T20I cricket over the course of the yr, together with 52 from 31 balls in opposition to Scotland within the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2024, to go along with his seven wickets within the competitors.
Oza in the meantime, hit 711 runs over the course of the yr, a tally solely bettered by Smriti Mandhana and Chamari Athapathtu. In addition to an unbeaten 114 in opposition to Oman within the ACC Ladies’s Premier Cup in February, she scored 189 runs within the UAE’s spectacular displaying on the ICC Ladies’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in April and Could, which included half-centuries in opposition to the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
Lastly, Richard Illingworth claimed the ICC Umpire of the 12 months award for a 3rd successive yr, chosen on the premise of his decision-making and his excellent communication and relationships with groups and captains throughout 2024.
Reacting to their awards, the winners have been all reflective on an excellent 2024 on the worldwide stage.
ICC Rising Males’s Cricketer of the 12 months, Kamindu Mendis: “Successful two ICC Participant of the Month Awards in 2024, together with being named the ICC Rising Males’s Cricketer of the 12 months, fills me with immense pleasure and pleasure. These accolades are a testomony to the arduous work and dedication I’ve put into my sport, with the unwavering assist of my coaches, teammates, household, and mates.
“Enjoying worldwide cricket has all the time been a childhood dream, and having the prospect to showcase my abilities on such a platform is each an honour and a results of that relentless effort.
“Trying forward, my aim is to proceed constructing on my early performances on the worldwide discipline and use it as a stepping stone to succeed in the best stage of excellence within the sport.
“I might additionally prefer to acknowledge the immense expertise of my fellow nominees – Gus, Shamar, and Saim – all of whom are distinctive gamers.”
ICC Rising Ladies’s Cricketer of the 12 months 2024, Annerie Dercksen: “I’m not one for private awards or recognition. However it’s a terrific honour and I’m actually humbled by this recognition.
“It genuinely appears like I’m residing a dream. I nonetheless have the identical pleasure as after I was a 5-year-old enjoying within the yard, however now I’m enjoying alongside and in opposition to all my heroes. Being a part of this group has been an unbelievable expertise, and I’m extremely grateful for the prospect to study and develop from such gifted and skilled gamers. Once I mirror, in some methods I virtually don’t recognise the participant I used to be a yr in the past.
“This yr has been full of unforgettable moments, from my ODI and Take a look at debuts in India to the unbelievable expertise of reaching the World Cup remaining. Though we did not win, that journey stays near my coronary heart and one of many highlights of my profession.
“There are such a lot of folks I’m grateful to, and I’d inevitably neglect a couple of. Above all, all reward, honour, and glory belong to God. I’m deeply grateful to my teammates, who’ve welcomed me with open arms and shared invaluable steerage. Thanks to all the Proteas Ladies administration for his or her steady assist and mentorship. I additionally recognize each coach who has labored with me—whether or not by throwing balls till their arms fell off or by merely having a fast chat over a cup of espresso.
Lastly, I’m without end grateful to my household and mates for his or her unwavering love and assist.
ICC Males’s Affiliate Cricketer of the 12 months, Gerhard Erasmus: “I’m delighted to be receiving this award once more. 2024 has definitely been a shifting yr for me and to high the Affiliate world is changing into increasingly more difficult with the rising pool of gamers from everywhere in the world.
“It was a particular second to take my first five-wicket haul and to contribute all-round on the World Cup in West Indies in addition to different worldwide competitions.
“An enormous because of my group, Cricket Namibia employees and household for being supporting pillars.”
ICC Ladies’s Affiliate Cricketer of the 12 months, Esha Oza: “It’s a terrific honour to obtain the ICC Ladies’s Affiliate Cricket of the 12 months award for the second time. We’re very proud and comfortable that 2024 has been a yr the place we’ve had many UAE gamers shine on the massive stage. I really feel I’ve additionally been in a position to contribute my greatest for UAE so far.
“It’s been a yr the place, as a group we have been challenged by attending to play in opposition to many increased ranked opposition groups and we stood as much as the problem in lots of video games. It’s positively been a yr of progress for me as a participant and us [UAE] as a group.
“Lots of arduous work goes on behind the scenes by many to assist us play the way in which we do. I’m grateful and grateful to everybody who’s shared the trail with me to attain this, my household, mates, coaches, teammates and particularly the Emirates Cricket Board. Thanks, ICC, for the award and congratulations to all of the award winners.”
ICC Umpire of the 12 months, Richard Illingworth: “To be awarded the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the 12 months is a unbelievable honour and one I’ll cherish very a lot.
“Having umpired some unbelievable video games and collection of cricket previously 12 months I additionally really feel very lucky to do one thing as a second profession which is so pleasurable and rewarding.
“There are lots of people to thank who’ve been a terrific assist to me throughout my life in cricket and over the last yr, most significantly my spouse Anne.
“All of my colleagues each on and off discipline whom I’ve labored with – they offer me nice energy and drive to be the very best I might be.
“And at last the sport of cricket itself which has offered me with unbelievable alternatives and nice reminiscences.”
Bulletins within the ICC Awards 2024 will proceed on Monday, with Males’s and Ladies’s ODI Cricketers of the 12 months revealed in addition to the Males’s Take a look at Cricketer of the 12 months.
Winners in 12 particular person classes shall be revealed every day till Tuesday, culminating in essentially the most coveted and iconic prizes – the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Males’s Cricketer of the 12 months and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Ladies’s Cricketer of the 12 months.