The 2025 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack has revealed its Five Wisden Cricketers of the Year, highlighting exceptional performances in the world of cricket. They are England’s Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Sophie Ecclestone, Hampshire’s Liam Dawson and Australian born Dan Worral playing from Surrey, England.
About the Wisden Cricketer of the Year Awards:
The Wisden awards, established in 1889, are decided by the Wisden editor and are based on players’ performances during the previous English summer. No player can receive it more than once in their career.
Key Performances Behind the Wisden Cricketer of the Year Titles
i.Gus Atkinson had a breakthrough season, taking 12 wickets on his Test debut against West Indies (WI) at Lord’s Cricket Ground, in London, England and finishing the year with a remarkable 52 wickets. He also showed his batting skills by scoring a maiden first-class century at number eight against Sri Lanka (SL).
ii.Jamie Smith, a 24-year-old who made his Test debut as England’s wicketkeeper, performed well with the bat, scoring 280 runs in three matches against Sri Lanka at an average of 46.6.
iii.Sophie Ecclestone, a 25-year-old left-arm spinner, stood out in a tough year for England’s women’s team, becoming the first English woman to be named among the five since 2019.
- She ranked number one in both white-ball formats and overtook Katherine Sciver-Brunt as England’s leading T20 wicket-taker.
iv.The remaining two cricketers—Liam Dawson and Dan Worrall,also made a strong impression with their performances during the English summer.
Mitchell Santner Wins Wisden Trophy 2024
New Zealand (NZ)’s Mitchell Santner was awarded the Wisden Trophy 2024 for his brilliant match figures of 13 wickets for 157 runs against India.
Note: The Wisden Trophy is given each year to the player who delivers the most outstanding Test performance over the past 12 months.
Indian duo Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana Honoured as Wisden’s Leading Cricketers of 2024
Indian cricketers Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana have been honoured as the world’s leading male and female cricketers for 2024 in the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack for their exceptional performance.
- Jasprit Bumrah made history as the first Test bowler to take 200 wickets at an average under 20. In 2024, he took 86 wickets in 21 matches, including 32 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup (WC) win in the Caribbean.
- Smriti Mandhana had a record-breaking year in 2024, scoring 1659 runs—the most by a woman in a calendar year—including four One Day Innings (ODI) centuries and a Test century of 149 runs against South Africa (SA).
West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran has been named the Leading T20 Player in the World for his outstanding performances in the format.
Quinn Rooney Wins 2024 Wisden Photograph of the Year Award:
Quinn Rooney’s photo showing Australia’s Nathan Lyon and almost the entire Australian team appealing for an LBW (Leg Before Wicket) against India’s Mohammed Siraj at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), has been named the Wisden Photograph of the Year 2024.
- The winning photographer is awarded pound 1,000 (£) for this remarkable image.
