ICC Announces Men’s and Women’s ODI Teams of the Year; No Indian Cricketers in Men’s Squad
The ICC has released the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year 2024 and the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year 2024. The most shocking thing about the Men's team is the absence of Indian players. It has four Sri Lankans, three each from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and one West Indies player. Pakistani players who made it were Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf, while Afghanistan's representatives were Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Allah Ghazanfar. The rest of the team included Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka Wanindu Hasaranga from Sri Lanka, and Sherfane Rutherford from the West Indies.
Charith Asalanka, who had been a key figure in Sri Lanka's series win over India in August 2024, was named as the captain of the Men’s team. Kusal Mendis scored 742 runs in 17 matches last year 2024, he was followed by Nissanka (694 runs) and Asalanka (605 runs). The performances showed how well Sri Lanka played in the ODIs throughout the year.
In 2024, Wanindu Hasaranga was the top wicket-taker in ODIs, taking 26 wickets in just 10 matches. In 11 matches, Afghanistan’s Allah Ghazanfar took 21 wickets, and Omarzai 17 in 14 games. Omarzai also contributed with the bat, scoring 417 runs to make him a strong contender for the ICC ODI Player of the Year award.
Saim Ayub found a place in nine ODIs for Pakistan and scored 515 runs in Australia in November 2024, a series win for Pakistan. Haris Rauf took 13 wickets in eight matches and Shaheen Afridi 15 wickets in six games. India did not have representatives in this year's team as they played only three ODIs in the year 2024. Australia, South Africa, England, and New Zealand also did not have representatives in this year's team.
ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year: Saim Ayub, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Charith Asalanka (C), Sherfane Rutherford, Azmatullah Omarzai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, AM Ghazanfar.
Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma Named in ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year 2024
Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma have become a part of the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year 2024, two Indian representatives in a position of honor. England has the most players in the XI, but India and Australia each have two players as well. This is a source of pride for Indian women’s cricket especially since not a single Indian player made it to the Men’s ODI Team of the Year.
In 2024, Mandhana was brilliant, scoring 747 runs in 13 matches and being the year’s top run scorer. An impressive century on each side against South Africa and New Zealand made her India’s leading century-maker in ODIs. 24 vital runs and wickets, including in games against New Zealand and the West Indies, made her performance truly put India on the map in global women’s cricket.
ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year: Smriti Mandhana, Laura Wolvaardt (C), Chamarti Athapaththu, Hayley Matthews, Marizanne Kapp, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Amy Jones (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross.