ICC revealed four nominees in the award category for the ODI Cricketer Of The Year 2024. Indian players largely received no nod as the shortlist to grab the super prize were finalised on the name of Wanindu Hasaranga, Kusal Mendis, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Sherfane Rutherford.
ODI cricket took a backseat this year as T20I World Cup fever was on. Regardless, a few stood out in the handful of 50-over games played in 2024 in the bilateral series.
With the year 2024 coming to an end, ICC announced nominees for the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award. Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga and Kusal Mendis, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai, and West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford made the cut because of their outstanding skills shown throughout the year.
Hasaranga, Mendis makes final cut to ICC ODI player of the year nominee list
Wanindu Hasaranga is Sri Lanka’s most exciting all-rounder for white-ball cricket and bagged 26 wickets in the ODI format with 5.36 economy in 2024. His magical spell of 7/19 spell came against Zimbabwe in Colombo.
On the other hand, Azmatullah Omarzai scored 417 runs at a strike rate of 105.56. He also picked up 7 wickets at an economy of 4.90 in ODIs this year. A few of his notable performances have been a stunning 149* against Sri Lanka and an all-round display for the series against South Africa.
Kusal Mendis scored 742 runs at a strike rate of 90.59 and also took 19 dismissals as a wicketkeeper this year in the ODI format. He delivered a career-best 143 against New Zealand in a rain-hit Dambulla match.
Last but not least, Sherfane Rutherford has a terrific run in the ODI format as well. He accumulated 425 runs at a strike rate of 120.05 this year with a blistering 113 off 80 balls against Bangladesh in St. Kitts.
Fans can tune into ICC’s official website to vote for their favourite finalists before ICC announces results in the coming few weeks.