Arshdeep, Mandhana nominated for ICC awards
Dubai, Dec 29: Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh has been nominated for the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award following a stellar season in which he emerged as the joint highest wicket-taker and played a pivotal role in India's T20 World Cup triumph.
The 25-year-old will compete for the prestigious honour alongside Pakistan's Babar Azam, Australia's Travis Head, and Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza, all of whom are among the standout performers this year.
Stylish Indian opener Smriti Mandhana too will be vying for an ICC award after being nominated for ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year for her standout performance in international cricket.
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) and Annabel Sutherland (Australia) are the other experienced cricketers competing for the award.
Arshdeep's sensational show in 2024
Singh, a left-arm pacer, was a key figure in India's T20 World Cup victory in Barbados. He finished the year as the joint highest wicket-taker in T20Is, with 36 wickets in 18 matches at an impressive average of 13.5.
His tally was the second-highest by an Indian pacer in T20Is in a calendar year, just behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 37 wickets in 2022.
Singh claimed 17 wickets in the T20 World Cup, tying with Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi for the most wickets in the tournament.
His most memorable moment came in the final, where he dismissed key players Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock early, derailing South Africa's chase of 177. In the high-pressure 19th over, he conceded just four runs, increasing the required run rate and setting the stage for India's victory.
Mandhana delivers sparkling performances
Mandhana, a left-handed opener, amassed 743 runs in 12 innings at an impressive average of 61.91 and a strike rate of 96.99 and also claimed a wicket in what turned out to be a memorable season.
The 28-year-old hit a pair of centuries in June against South Africa in Bengaluru to get her 2024 campaign rolling before managing two more hundreds later in the year to stay in good touch right up until December.
Mandhana managed a total of 343 runs from three innings in a Player of the Series effort against South Africa in June. She got her third hundred when amassing 100 in the final match of India's home series against New Zealand right after the completion of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
Another hundred followed in the final match of her side's three-game series with Australia in December, but that was in vain as the Aussies completed a 3-0 series sweep of their own.
Mandhana's best all-round effort came in the second match of India's home series against South Africa, when she scored a century and picked up a key wicket to help her side to a narrow four-wicket victory.
The winners of the ICC Awards 2024 will be announced in late January 2025.
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— ICC (@ICC) December 29, 2024
A star-studded shortlist for ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year has been revealed 👀#ICCAwardshttps://t.co/mhvz13ik6i
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Karnataka minister orders safari resumption from Feb 21 with strict curbs
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Safari operations, suspended after the human-tiger conflict, will resume with conditions from February 21, following Minister Eshwar Khandre’s directive on Friday to strictly enforce guidelines.
The state forest minister reviewed the situation with officials from Mysuru, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar, and said an order would be issued to restart safaris from Saturday.
Khandre warned that any violation of the conditions would make officials accountable.
“Only 50 per cent of the safari vehicles and staff in use prior to November 7 should be deployed. Operations should be conducted mainly through buses, with minimal use of campers and jeeps. Detailed instructions will be issued,” he said.
Khandre directed officials to identify human–wildlife conflict-prone areas in Bandipur and Nagarahole and intensify patrolling.
“Precautionary measures must ensure wild animals do not enter residential areas, preventing loss of life and crop damage,” he said.
Following the death of a farmer in a tiger attack in Mysuru district, safari operations in Nagarahole and Bandipur tiger reserves were suspended on November 7, 2025.
According to the minister’s office, a 100-km stretch along the Bandipur boundary has been identified as highly sensitive, with 25 camps to be set up at five-km intervals.
“Local residents will be appointed as ‘forest friends’ at each camp to monitor wildlife movement. Proposals for facilities such as thermal drones and vehicles must be submitted in writing,” he said.
He said protecting people living on forest fringes is as important as wildlife conservation, with equal emphasis on crop protection.
“Thirty-five per cent of safari revenue should be used for skill training for youth in fringe villages, cattle fodder supply and children’s education,” he said.
Khandre stressed that conservation depends on local community support and directed staff to maintain cordial relations with residents and involve them in conservation efforts.
“Permanent staff must use the internally developed e-patrolling software, while outsourced staff in tiger reserves should use the e-stripe system,” he said.
Wildlife movement should be monitored at the integrated command centre, with prompt instructions issued to field staff. Complaints received on helpline 1926 must be addressed immediately, he added.
The minister also directed measures to prevent forest fires in Nagarahole, Bandipur and Biligiri Ranganatha Hills during summer.
“Steps must ensure tigers, leopards, elephants and other wildlife do not stray out of forests due to shortages of food and water,” he said.
