Wisden: Bumrah ‘a staccato of limbs somehow forming a symphony’

‘A staccato of limbs somehow forming a symphony’ – that’s how Wisden, the publication they once called the Bible of cricket, described Indian pace ace Jasprit Bumrah in the 2025 edition of the Wisden Cricketer’s Alamanack published on Tuesday, 22 April. The man who took 71 Test wickets for less than 15 runs each in 2024 has been named its Leading Cricketer of the Year, while his compatriot Smriti Mandhana was nominated as the Leading Women’s Cricketer.

Bumrah's impact on international cricket, both in the Tests as well as in helping India win a ICC crown with the T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean, was so overwhelming through 2024 that Wisden editor Lawrence Booth called him ‘quite simply the star of the year’ in his note.

It's the crowning glory for the 31-year-old smiling assassin of world cricket, who has already won top ICC honours: Men's Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year for last year's dream showing.      

Reflecting on Bumrah’s awe-inspiring performance in the Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, in which he almost singlehandedly carried India’s attack with 32 wickets at 13.06, Booth wrote: ‘’He was so lethal, so uniquely challenging — a staccato of limbs somehow forming a symphony — that runs scored off him should have counted double… he laid a claim to be considered the greatest of all time.’’ 

Bumrah had bowled more than 150 overs in those five Tests, having had to shoulder the pace bowling load in the absence of senior paceman Mohammed Shami due to injury. The recurrence of a back injury in the fifth Test in Sydney eventually forced Bumrah out of action for over three months — while all eyes will be on him during the highly billed England Test series there in June–July.

Mandhana, Bumrah’s compatriot, may have flown under the radar but has hit a staggering 1659 runs across formats last year — the most by a woman in a calendar year of international cricket — including four ODI 100s, another record. She capped her efforts with a second Test century (149) in a 10-wicket win over South Africa in June.

Honours for Pooran, Santner

Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies was named Leading T20 Player in the World. Continuing his fine form, he has also been on a rampage in the ongoing IPL, where he is second in the race for the Orange Cap, with 368 runs for the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of Tuesday’s game.

Another major award, the Wisden Trophy for a year of outstanding performance, went to New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner.

The left-arm spinner claimed a matchwinning 13-wicket haul against India in the second Test in Pune when New Zealand sealed an unassailable 2–0 lead in their Test series against India. Not only was this India’s first home series defeat since December 2012 against England, the Kiwis also went on to make it a 3-0 whitewash — making it one of the greatest series wins of all time.