Babar Azam named captain of ICC ODI Team of 2022
In the nine matches Babar played this year, the 28-year-old registered eight scores of more than fifty
Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam has been named captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2022.
In the nine matches Azam played in 2022, the 28-year-old registered eight scores of more than fifty.
"Pakistan captain Babar Azam once again showed his prowess in the 50-over format, displaying once again why he has ruled the roost at the top of the ICC Men's ODI Player Rankings since July 2021," the ICC said in a press release.
"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. His leadership skills means that he leads the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year for 2022," it added.
It must be noted that Azam was also captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year in 2021.
Azam has been slotted in the lineup at the top alongside Australia's Travis Head.
"Usually an attacking middle-order batter, Head brilliantly reinvented himself as an opener in ODIs, becoming one of Australia's most consistent batters in the format. It was a year to remember for Head — who became one of the first names on the Australian team sheet — notching up 550 runs from nine games at 68.75," the ICC said. "His runs came at a strike-rate of 112.24 and included two centuries and three fifties."
It was rare to see a player from Zimbabwe in the lineup but Sikandar Raza would have surely been one of the first names after a stellar year on the field.
“2022 witnessed the resurgence of Zimbabwe on the international scene and a lot of it was down to one man – Sikandar Raza. Raza aggregated 645 runs at an average of 49.61 and strike rate of 87.16, making two fifties to complement three centuries,” the ICC stated.
“With ball in hand, Raza was ever-reliable, scalping eight wickets while giving away just more than five an over,” it added.
The other players in the team includes Australia's Adam Zampa, West Indies' Shai Hope and Alzarri Joseph, India's Shreyas Iyer and Mohammad Siraj, New Zealand's Tom Latham and Trent Boult and Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
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