Saim Ayub among four nominees for ICC’s Men's Emerging Cricketer of The Year 2024 award

The International Cricket Council (ICC) unveiled the nominees for the Men's Emerging Cricketer of The Year 2024 on Saturday, December 28. Pakistan's rising star Saim Ayub leads the race after a stellar breakthrough in his international career in 2024.

England's fast bowler Gus Atkinson, West Indies' rising youngster Shamar Joseph and Sri Lanka's batting all-rounder Kamindu Mendis are also nominated for the prestigious annual ICC award. 

After a slow start to his T20I career in 2023, Ayub made his Test and ODI debut this year and was able to display his potential with consistent performances in all three formats. He finished the 2024 year with 1254 runs in 41 international innings, the second-highest by any Pakistani cricketer.

Ayub's big impact with a bat came in ODIs, as he smashed 515 runs in just 9 innings with the help of three brilliant hundreds. He equalled Imam-ul-Haq's record for the fastest to 500 ODI runs during his latest innings against South Africa where he smashed 101 runs in Johannesburg.

The 22-year-old spin all-rounder also made an impact with a ball to prove his all-round skills in 2024. He took 9 wickets in 13 international innings at an average of 35.66 and an impressive economy rate of 5.37. 

However, it is hard to predict the winner of the Emerging Player award as Ayub faces tough competition from Atkinson, Kamindu and Shamar who all made a stunning impact in 2024.

Shamar Joseph, 25, kicked off his career with two five-fer against Australia in Tests. His heroics helped the West Indies register their first Test win in Australia since 1997. Shamar concluded the 2024 year with 40 wickets in 25 international innings.

England's Gus Atkinson also witnessed a stunning breakthrough in his Test career in 2024. The right-arm pacer stepped in the place of retired James Anderson and went on to clinch 52 wickets in just 21 international innings this year.