Bumrah, Omarzai Award Winners; Hurricanes Clinch BBL And WI Win – January 27 Cricket Highlights
Jasprit Bumrah and Nathan Ellis [Source: @cricketcomau, @BBL/x]
Jasprit Bumrah and Azmatullah Omarzai bagged big recognitions at the ICC Awards 2024. Hobart Hurricanes clinched its first-ever BBL title, while West Indies scripted history with an emphatic result over Pakistan in Multan.
Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Monday, January 27.
Jasprit Bumrah Named ICC Test Cricketer Of The Year
Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year as part of the ICC Awards 2024 on January 27. The speedster defeated fellow nominees Joe Root, Harry Brook and Kamindu Mendis for the prestigious honour by finishing the year as its highest wicket-taker in Tests.
Bumrah picked up 71 wickets in the year from just 13 Test matches for India, at an exceptional bowling average of 14.92. The cricketer picked up 30 of those wickets in four matches against Australia in November and December; and he also headlined India’s 4-1 series victory over England at home back in March.
Azmatullah Omarzai Wins ODI Cricketer Of The Year
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai was crowned the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for his prolific year with both bat and ball. Aged just 24, Omarzai scored 417 runs with the bat in just 14 ODI matches for Afghanistan at a splendid average of 52.12, and with an astonishing strike rate of 105.56. The cricketer also plundered a fighting century against Sri Lanka, and shaped three additional fifty-plus scores in the process.
With the ball, Azmatullah Omarzai picked up 17 wickets in just 13 innings at an average of 20.47, and the speedster held an economy rate of 4.90. Notably, he was nominated under the category alongside Sherfane Rutherford and Sri Lankan stars Wanindu Hasaranga and Kusal Mendis.
Mitchell Owen Engineers Hobart Hurricanes’ Maiden BBL Title
Hobart Hurricanes upstaged Sydney Thunder in a one-sided final to lift the BBL 2024-25 title at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Batting first, the Thunder hauled 182-7 from 20 overs courtesy of a fluent 42-ball 67 from opener Jason Sangha. Captain and vintage opener David Warner also whacked 48 from just 32 balls during his 97-run opening partnership, before three-wicket hauls from Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis tilted the tide back in Hurricanes’ favor.
Chasing 183, Hobart Hurricanes opener Mitchell Owen blasted 108 from just 42 balls with 11 huge sixes and six boundaries. His record-breaking BBL knock was ably complemented by Matthew Wade (32* off 17) and Ben McDermott (18* off 12) as the Hurricanes cruised to a remarkable seven-wicket win in just 14.1 overs to lift their first-ever BBL silverware.
West Indies Stuns Pakistan To Level Test Series
Pakistan dusted out for just 133 on Day 3 after resuming their 254-run pursuit at 76-4. Falling 120 runs short of their target, Pakistani batters crumbled in front of West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who claimed exceptional figures of 5-27 to bag nine wickets in the match.
Kevin Sinclair (3-61) and Gudakesh Motie (2-35) bagged the remaining five Pakistani wickets on offer as West Indies levelled the two-match Test series 1-1 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Virat Kohli’s Ranji Trophy Return Will Not Be Streamed: Reports
The much-awaited Ranji Trophy return of legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli will reportedly not be available for either live streaming or live telecast. Kohli is slated to play Delhi’s upcoming Elite Group D match against Railways between January 30 and February 2 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
According to Journalist Kushan Sarkar on X, the broadcast roster does not include this match in particular, and any possible live streaming adjustment will purely depend on last-minute developments.