ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday named Babar Azam captain of its one-day international (ODI) team of the year, saying the Pakistani batter “once again showed his prowess in the 50-over format.”
The ICC team of the year recognizes 11 outstanding individuals who have impressed cricket fans with bat, ball or their all-round exploits in the year.
In the nine matches Azam played this year, the 28-year-old Pakistani batsman registered eight scores of more than fifty, three of which he converted into hundreds.
“It was a memorable year for Babar as captain of the Pakistan ODI team, winning three series out of three. Pakistan were unstoppable in the ODI format, losing just one match (against Australia) out of nine,” the ICC said.
“His leadership skills means that he leads the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2022.”
Azam finished the year with 679 runs at a stunning average of 84.87.
Others in the ICC ODI team of the year included Australian Travis Head, Shai Hope of West Indies, Shreyas Iyer from India, New Zealand wicketkeeper Tom Latham, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, Mehidy Hasan Miraz from Bangladesh, West Indian Alzarri Joseph, India’s Mohammed Siraj, New Zealander Trent Boult and Australia’s Adam Zampa.