Sciver-brunt and two Bazballers on Wisden list
Harry Brook and Mark Wood, two stars of England’s thrilling 2-2 Ashes draw with Australia last summer, have been named among Wisden Almanack’s Five Cricketers of the Year for 2024. Nat Sciver-brunt has become the first England player to be named as Wisden’s women’s Leading Cricketer in the World.
The 2024 edition of Wisden, which is regarded as the sport’s bible and dates back to 1864, celebrates the exciting Ashes series. Brook scored four half-centuries in the Ashes, including a crucial 75 in England’s three-wicket victory at his home ground, Headingley. Wood returned to the side for the last three Tests. Bowling at up to 96mph, he took 14 wickets to help England recover from 2-0 down to square the series.
Australia captain Pat Cummins was named the men’s Leading Cricketer in the World. Australia won the World Test Championship in June, when they beat India at the Oval, before retaining the urn. After losing their first two World Cup matches, Australia won nine in a row to land their sixth title, culminating in defeating India.
Cummins took 42 Test wickets in the calendar year, more than any other fast bowler. He also made valuable contributions with the bat, including scoring 44 not out in Australia’s fraught twowicket win in the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Sciver-brunt enjoyed a remarkable year, including hitting two oneday international centuries in three days against Australia during the Ashes series, which finished 8-8 on points. With Australia already holding the Ashes, they kept the urn.
In his editor’s notes, Lawrence Booth calls on administrators to do more to safeguard the health of Test cricket around the world. In February, South Africa sent the equivalent of a C team to their series in New Zealand, with the board ruling that players could be selected only if they were unwanted for South Africa’s franchise T20 competition. Booth urges global administrators to distribute funds according to “need, not greed” to protect the Test game, particularly highlighting the plight of West Indies. Under a new International Cricket Council distribution model, India will receive 38.5 per cent of all ICC funding, while England receive 6.9 per cent, the second highest amount. West Indies, in contrast, are hampered by the small size of the Caribbean market, yet receive only 4.6 per cent.
“The West Indians have been hardest hit among the major Test teams,” Booth writes. “That made the ICC’S redistribution of funds in July all the harder to stomach. An annual handout of $230million is chicken feed for India; for everyone else, it is unimaginable riches.”