The 2024 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which was released on Tuesday, named Pat Cummins and Nat Sciver-Brunt as the Leading Cricketers in the World.
Aussie dominance after 12 years
Australia’s captain and star fast bowler, Cummins, led his team to victory over India in the 50-over World Cup in Ahmedabad in November and the ICC World Test Championship at The Oval in June. In the thrilling 2-2 drawn series that took place in England last summer, he also managed his team’s successful defence of the Ashes.
He takes the title from his English counterpart Ben Stokes, who won it three times in four years in 2020, 2021, and 2023. He is the first Australian to be named as Wisden’s Leading Cricketer since Michael Clarke in 2012.
Sciver-Brunt the deserved winner
Sciver-Brunt, on the other hand, has established herself as the best female cricket player of the present, especially considering her pivotal performance during the Women’s Ashes, when she scored consecutive ODI hundreds.
After those performances, she set a new record for England with a century off 66 balls against Sri Lanka. In February, the Mumbai Indians recognized her worldwide appeal at the first-ever Women’s Premier League auction, where her £320,000 price tag made her the highest-paid player from the United Kingdom.
Editors pick
