New Delhi, April 22, 2025.
ndian star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and women’s cricketer Smriti Mandhana have been honoured with the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2025.
Bumrah was declared the best male cricketer, and Mandhana was named the best in the women’s category. Meanwhile, West Indies wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran was given the honour of Best T20 cricketer.
The Wisden Cricketer of the Year Award is cricket’s oldest individual award. Since 1889, Wisden has been releasing this list every year, with selection based on performance in the previous season. No player can win this award more than once.
Bumrah was called the Star of the Year by Wisden editor Lawrence Booth. Last year, Bumrah became the first Test bowler in history to take 200 wickets at an average of less than 20. Bumrah has so far taken 204 wickets in 45 Test matches at an average of 19.40.
Smriti Mandhana has been named the world’s best female player by Wisden. She scored 1659 runs across all formats in 2024, which is the highest runs scored by any female player in international cricket in a calendar year.
This includes four centuries in ODIs. Mandhana also scored her second Test century (149) in a ten-wicket victory against South Africa last June.
