ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday selected Pakistani skipper Babar Azam as ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year for his "match-winning knocks and spell-binding stroke-play."
The world governing body of cricket said Azam scored 405 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) during the year at an average of 67.50 with two centuries.
"Babar Azam might have played only six ODIs in 2021, but he made vital contributions in the two series that Pakistan played this year," it said in a statement posted on its website. "He was the second-highest run-scorer with 228 runs and was the Player of the Match in both of Pakistan's wins in the 2-1 series victory against South Africa. The architect of Pakistan's chase of 274 in the first ODI, Babar made a century and laid the foundation with an 82-ball 94 in the final ODI where the visitors posted 320 batting first."
The ICC said Azam was "the lone warrior for Pakistan when they were swept by England 3-0" and made 177 runs in three games.
However, he found little support from other players in his team, none of whom could score more than 100 in the series.
"Azam's best performance this year came in a losing cause in the final ODI against England," the ICC noted. "With the series already lost, Pakistan were playing for pride as well as crucial ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points in the third ODI at Birmingham. Put in to bat first, Pakistan posted 331, with Babar scoring close to half of the team's runs."
The Pakistan cricket captain thanked his team for supporting him in a video message recorded after the ICC announcement.
"I try to score high in every country," he said while recalling Pakistan's South Africa tour which gave the team momentum for the rest of the year.
"It gave me and my team quite a lot of confidence," he added.
Last week, the ICC recognized the Pakistani skipper's performance by naming him captain of its T20 and ODI teams of the year.