ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was crowned ICC Men’s Player of the Month on Tuesday following a scintillating series of scores last month that included notable run-scoring feats against Afghanistan and a glittering century against Nepal.
Azam was nominated for the prestigious award along with another team member and all-rounder Shadab Khan last week for their outstanding performances. The Pakistan captain’s accomplishment has made him the first men’s player to win the award on three separate occasions, after previous triumphs in April 2021 and March 2022.
Reacting to the development, Azam said he was delighted to be named ICC Player of the Month for August 2023.
“The past month has been extraordinary for my team and I as we have put some terrific performances,” an ICC statement quoted him as saying. “With the Asia Cup coming to Pakistan after such a long time, it was great to play in front of the passionate and cricket-loving crowds of Multan and Lahore. That I scored my second ODI score of 150-plus in front of my own people in Multan doubled the joy.”
“I am looking forward to making the most of the form as we head into an exciting phase of cricket with the backend of the Asia Cup nearing and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup around the corner,” he continued. “My team and I are eager to bring joy and happiness to the millions of Pakistan fans.”
The Pakistan skipper started the ODI series against Afghanistan quietly last month. However, his form returned in the last two fixtures, where scores of 53 and 60 helped secure the series sweep for Pakistan.
On the back of these strong displays, Azam then saved his best performance for his last August outing – the opening Asia Cup fixture against Nepal in Multan.
At one stage 25 for two, he displayed control and flair in stabilizing the Pakistan innings, before launching a wave of aggressive strokes to propel them to a mammoth 342 score, eventually ending with 151 from 131 balls.
In total, his 264 runs in the month came at an average of 66 and at a strike rate of 92.30.
Azam was also congratulated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for winning the coveted ICC award.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam secures ICC Player of the Month award for August
https://arab.news/m4j97
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam secures ICC Player of the Month award for August
- The Pakistan captain has become the first male cricketer to win the award on three separate occasions
- Azam secured the accolade following last month’s dazzling performances, including 150-plus against Nepal
Qatar’s Al-Attiyah wins Stage 6 for Dacia, retakes Dakar lead
- Al-Attiyah, 55, has now completed 19 successive Dakars with at least one stage win every time
RIYADH: Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah will lead the Dakar Rally into its second and final week after winning the sixth stage in the Saudi desert on Friday to take over at the top from South African rival Henk Lategan.
Al-Attiyah, a five-time Dakar winner now competing for the Dacia Sandriders, had been second overnight but turned a deficit of more than three minutes into a 6 minutes and 10 second advantage over the 326km timed stage between Hail and Riyadh.
Saturday is a rest day before the rally resumes in Riyadh on Sunday with seven more stages to the finish in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on Jan. 17.
Al-Attiyah won Friday’s stage by two minutes and 58 seconds from teammate and nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, Dacia’s first Dakar one-two, with Toyota’s American Seth Quintero third.
Overall, three different manufacturers filled podium positions with Toyota’s Lategan second and Ford’s Nani Roma third — his first time on the virtual podium since 2019.
Al-Attiyah, 55, has now completed 19 successive Dakars with at least one stage win every time.
Friday was his career 49th stage win in the car category — one off the record held jointly by Ari Vatanen and “Mr Dakar” Stephane Peterhansel.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz, father of the Formula One driver and a four-time Dakar winner still racing hard at the age of 63, was in fourth place for Ford with teammate Mattias Ekstrom fifth and Loeb sixth.
American Mitch Guthrie, stage winner on Thursday for Ford, dropped to seventh from sixth.
In the motorcycle category there was no change at the top, although leader and defending champion Daniel Sanders was handed a 6-minute penalty for riding at 98kph in a zone limited to 50kph.
KTM rider Sanders now leads Honda’s American Ricky Brabec, the stage winner after the Australian’s penalty, by 45 seconds with Argentine rider Luciano Benavides more than 10 minutes behind in third.
“It was an emotional rollercoaster all day. Unfortunately, I got a speeding penalty, so that will set me back a bit,” said Sanders.
“I just pushed as much as I could today but it’s hard to do good in the sand, especially opening. I did the best I could and I’ve got to stop making silly mistakes. I haven’t pieced this first week together so well.”
