Cricket stars 2024- Cricket Teams of the year across different formats-

Cricket in 2024 has gifted memories and performances galore in the form of T20 World Cups and consistent brilliance of cricketers in all formats. While it can be said that Jasprit Bumrah played in the Test as well as in the T20 team and Nicholas Pooran dominated the roost in the T20 version, let's still move ahead and take a closer look at the all-rounders of the year.

Bumrah All-Format Brilliance:

Jasprit Bumrah's consistency across formats meant he was in two of ESPNcricinfo's teams of the year. He remained the master with the ball, whether swinging it in Tests or delivering in high-pressure T20 situations. Bumrah was one of two unanimous choices to the men's Test XI, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a stellar debut year with two double centuries against England and a magnificent 161 in Perth.

India's supremacy in Tests continued with Ravindra Jadeja, who took up the spin-bowling all-rounder slot. Though England led the representation with Joe Root, Ben Duckett, and Harry Brook who scored runs in heaps. Jamie Smith edged Rishabh Pant for the wicket-keeping slot, whereas Gus Atkinson narrowly missed out on selection. Notable inclusions from other teams are Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry, who had led New Zealand to a series win in India for the first time in history and Kamindu Mendis and Josh Hazlewood rounded off the XI with solid performances.

Men's ODI XI: Sri Lanka and Afghanistan Shine

ODI format was the most dented one post-2023 world cup fever, yet there were few teams and cricketers whom this event shall fail to let fade. Seven of the XI had a birthplace in Sri Lanka or Afghanistan, which stamps their influence deeper.

The most wicket-taking cricketer of the year is Wanindu Hasaranga. He led the Sri Lankan side supported by big run-scorers Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, and Charith Asalanka. Afghanistan's stable top-order bat is Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The balance of this team has been achieved from Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi.

Sherfane Rutherford and Liam Livingstone breathed much-needed fire into the middle order, and Taskin Ahmed and Haris Rauf can be quite problematic with the pace attack. Places were very scarce, and players like Harry Brook and Alzarri Joseph didn't feature in this match.

Heinrich Klaasen's explosive opening half of the year allowed him to sneak into the XI despite a quieter finish, while Travis Head and Andre Russell made their case with consistent performances.

Bumrah was an automatic selection, and again, the appeal of bowling skills was narrated by Matheesha Pathirana. Rashid Khan, who had taken Afghanistan to the semi-final of the World Cup, had his seventh successive selection in this category and was also made captain.

Phil Salt, opening the innings and, as a finisher Tristan Stubbs, gave belling power to the batting lineup. The joint-second-most wicket-taker from Full-Member-team in the T20Is would have been Arshdeep Singh, who got into third seamer's place. Tilak Varma very marginally edged Sanju Samson for the last batsmen's place.

Women's T20 XI: Kerr and Matthews Steal the Show

Amelia Kerr's starring year, in particular, with that Player of the Tournament show at the T20 World Cup, really makes her such a clear choice for the women's T20 XI. And then there is Sophie Ecclestone, the second-highest wicket-taker of the year, and Ellyse Perry, paying handsome dividends as an all-rounder.

The middle order was the celebration of all-round brilliance with Nat Sciver-Brunt and Marizanne Kapp, who were blasting at more than 135, alongside Deepti Sharma and Hayley Matthews. Matthews, who also led West Indies to the World Cup semi-finals, has been named as captain for her leadership and on-field exploits.

Beth Mooney will be included as wicket-keeper, and Laura Wolvaardt and her will drive the opening. Shabnim Ismail and Rosemary Mair concluded the bowling attack with exemplary effort during the year.

Women's ODI XI: Mandhana and Wolvaardt's Dominance

A class of its own in the women's ODI format, Smriti Mandhana and Laura Wolvaardt dominated the run charts and were a solid opening pair. Chamari Athapaththu batted at No.3 and also took up duties as captain.

The middle order had contributions from Kapp and Ecclestone who, other than maybe for Tahlia McGrath, were near-unanimous picks. Amy Jones was a good wicketkeeper and impressed both behind the stumps and with the bat.

The spin department received backup from Ashleigh Gardner who won over Annabel Sutherland, and Alana King, who formed a combination with Ecclestone. The pace attack came from Megan Schutt and Kate Cross, who maintained regular wicket-taking.

Stars of the Year

From Bumrah's multi-format heroics to Pooran's T20 domination and Kerr's all-round mastery, in 2024, it was one season where individual brilliance shone brightly. These teams celebrate the finest of players and retrospect over the emerging dynamics and powerhouses in world cricket. It ensures that cricket has a lot of promise in store for the fans for 2025.