India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr have been crowned the ICC Cricketers of the Year 2024, clinching the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy respectively. Bumrah, India’s Test vice-captain, became the first Indian to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Men’s Cricketer of the Year award since Virat Kohli in 2018. The 31-year-old fast bowler made a remarkable comeback to Test cricket in late 2023 after recovering from a back injury. In 2024, he dominated the format, claiming 71 wickets at an average of 14.92 and a strike rate of 30.1. In the women’s category, Amelia Kerr’s all-round brilliance earned her the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. West Indies lead Pakistan after 20 wickets fall India’s Smriti Mandhana also made headlines, winning the Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second time since 2018. Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai was named the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for his 417 runs and 17 wickets during the year. India’s Arshdeep Singh, instrumental in the country’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024, was named Men’s T20 Cricketer of the Year and featured in the T20 Team of the Year alongside Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah. Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis earned the Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year title for his stellar 1,451 runs across all formats, while South Africa’s Annerie Dercksen was honoured as the Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year. Source: ICC

Rishabh Pant's blistering counterattack capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final test between Australia and India where 15 wickets fell on Saturday and the star bowler of the series left the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. Australia was bowled out for 181, giving India a four-run lead on the first innings, and could not take advantage of India captain Jasprit Bumrah leaving the SCG for medical scans on a still unspecified injury. Bumrah later returned to the SCG but there was no confirmation on whether the star bowler would be able to bowl in the remainder of the test — or bat in India's second innings. Beau Webster top-scored for the hosts with 57 and a wicket in a bright debut, while Steve Smith narrowly fell short of bringing up 10,000 career test runs in front of his home crowd. Wickets fall at SCG as Australia 101-5 at lunch on Day 2 of 5th test against India Pant then lit up the SCG with a swashbuckling 61 off 33 balls with six boundaries and four sixes to leave the match evenly poised after the end of just the second day. At stumps, Jadeja was eight not out and Washington Sundar was unbeaten on six. Scott Boland backed up his four wickets in India's first innings with four more on Saturday. First, he bowled two near-unplayable deliveries to bowl opening pair KL Rahul (13) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22). Boland (4-42) followed that up by yet again tempting Virat Kohli outside off stump which the veteran guided straight to Smith at slip in what may be the 36-year-old Kohli's final test innings in Australia. Webster (1-24) chalked up his first test wicket, having Shubman Gill (13) caught behind after a wild swipe. Earlier, Australia conceded a four-run deficit as it was bowled out at tea. India star bowler Bumrah taken to hospital for scans during 5th test against Australia Steve Smith (33) and Webster appeared to have stabilized the host's innings after its top order was toppled in quick time by Bumrah (2-33) and Mohammad Siraj (3-51). Bumrah took Labuschagne to go with Khawaja's wicket and took his overall series tally to 32 wickets, the highest ever by an Indian bowler in a single series in Australia, passing spinner Bishan Singh Bedi’s 31 during the 1977-78 series. Australia leads the series 2-1 and must avoid defeat to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15. A win by India and a drawn series at 2-2 would allow the visitors to retain the trophy for a record-extending fifth consecutive time. A win for Australia at the SCG would book the team’s spot in a second straight World Test Championship final where it would play the already-qualified South Africa at Lord’s in June. Absent Sharma says he was not dropped Former India Rohit Sharma has hit back at suggestions he was dropped from the team ahead of the decisive 5th test, saying he made the decision to stand down. The 37-year-old Sharma said that he had initiated the conversation with selectors. “I had a chat with the coach and the selector was very simple,” Rohit said on India's Star Sports. “I am not making runs at the moment. I am not in form and it’s an important game. We need an in-form player. “This was the simple thing in my mind. It was my understanding that I should tell the coach and the selector and they backed my call.”

India star bowler and new captain Jasprit Burmrah has been taken to a hospital for scans on an unspecified injury during the second day of the fifth and final test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Bumrah, who replaced the rested Rohit Sharma as captain for this test, could be seen on the television broadcast leaving in a car from underneath the SCG grandstands about an hour after the lunch break on Saturday. India team management have not confirmed the injury or whether Bumrah, the standout player of the series, will be able to bowl again in the match. Bumrah bowled during the first session and did not appear hampered by an injury as he picked up yet another wicket for the series by removing Marnus Labuschagne, to go with his wicket of Usman Khawaja in the final over on Friday. Ayub twists right ankle as South Africa reaches 72-3 against Pakistan in 2nd test The 31-year-old has an overall series tally of 32 wickets, which is the highest by an Indian bowler in a single series in Australia. Bumrah passed spinner Bishan Singh Bedi who had 31 wickets from five matches during the 1977-78 series. Veteran Virat Kohli took over the captaincy for India in Bumrah's absence.