ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has nominated Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam for its Twenty20 International (T20I) Cricketer of the Year award, saying no other Pakistan batter scored as many T20I runs as Azam in the last 12 months.
Other players nominated in the category include Sikandar Raza from Zimbabwe, Australian Travis Head and India’s Arshdeep Singh, according to the ICC.
Azam played 24 matches and collectively scored 738 runs at an average 33.54 run. His highest score was 75 against Ireland.
“With six fifties and close to a hundred boundaries, Babar was Pakistan’s mainstay and the year saw an improvement in his strike rate, with the batter clocking 133.21 runs every 100 deliveries,” the ICC said on its website.
“Still only 30, Babar is primed to break Rohit Sharma’s record as the highest run-getter in T20I cricket soon, sitting just eight behind the Indian’s mark of 4231 runs.”
The winners of the awards are likely to be announced in late January, 2025.
Pakistani Saim Ayub has also been nominated in the category of Emerging Cricketer of the Year along with Sri Lankan Kamindu Mendis, Shamar Joseph of West Indies and England’s Gus Atkinson.
Ayub scored 515 runs from nine one-day internationals (ODIs), averaging at 64.37.
“In Ayub, Pakistan found a new flamboyant southpaw at the top of their batting order. While Ayub was a consistent feature across all three formats, many of his best performances in 2024 came in ODIs,” the ICC said.
“As Pakistan won multiple away series in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa to prime themselves for the ICC Champions Trophy defense, Ayub went big as an opener.”
In South Africa, the left-hander sizzled with two tons from the three games and finished as the Player of the Series in a 3-0 clean sweep — South Africa’s first at home. Ayub was also impressive in a low-scoring affair in Australia that saw Pakistan edge past the hosts to clinch their first ODI series triumph Down Under in 22 years.
The 22-year-old also provided Pakistan a handy option with the ball, claiming five wickets and boasting an economy rate of 4.63.
ICC nominates Pakistan’s Babar Azam for T20I Cricketer of the Year award
https://arab.news/rswzm
ICC nominates Pakistan’s Babar Azam for T20I Cricketer of the Year award
- Azam played 24 matches and collectively scored 738 runs at an average 33.54 run in last 12 months
- Others nominated for award include Sikandar Raza, Australian Travis Head and India’s Arshdeep Singh
Pakistan, Algeria discuss investment cooperation in energy, mining, digital sectors
- MoU planned between Algerian investment agency and Pakistan’s SIFC
- Talks also cover digital governance and smart agriculture collaboration
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Algeria have agreed to pursue closer investment cooperation in energy, mining and digital development, Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) said on Friday, as Islamabad steps up efforts to attract foreign capital and expand international collaborations.
The SIFC is a hybrid civil-military body formed in 2023 to fast-track decisions related to international investment in sectors including tourism, livestock, agriculture and mines and minerals. It has been central to Pakistan’s efforts to attract foreign investment and streamline regulatory approvals amid recurring balance-of-payments pressures.
Federal Secretary SIFC Jamil Qureshi said in a social media post that he met Algeria’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Brahim Romani, and discussed signing a memorandum of understanding to strengthen institutional collaboration between the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency and the SIFC.
“Both countries share strong potential to expand cooperation in strategic sectors such as energy, mining, digital transformation, and industrial development,” he said.
“Algeria’s experience in leveraging natural resources through institutions like Sonatrach, developing large-scale mining projects, and promoting industrial localization through partnerships with global firms such as Stellantis offers valuable lessons for Pakistan as we advance priority initiatives including Reko Diq, renewable energy expansion, and EV manufacturing,” he continued.
Qureshi said the two sides also explored collaboration in digital governance and smart agriculture, similar to Algeria’s satellite-driven agricultural and climate monitoring initiatives.
Islamabad has in recent months intensified outreach to Middle Eastern, Central Asian and African partners as it seeks long-term investment rather than short-term financial support.
Pakistan’s economy has stabilized under an International Monetary Fund program, with the government actively seeking foreign investment and collaborations to boost growth, improve exports and ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
“We look forward to translating this shared vision into concrete projects that generate jobs, enhance exports, and strengthen Pakistan–Algeria economic partnership,” Qureshi added.
Qureshi did not provide a timeline for signing the proposed memorandum of understanding.
