Babar Azam crowned ICC ODI Player of 2022
He claimed the award for a second consecutive year
Pakistan skipper and star batter Babar Azam was crowned ICC ODI Player of 2022 on Thursday.
He scored 679 runs from nine matches at an average of 84.87 with three centuries in ODI cricket during 2022.
Australia's Adam Zampa, West Indies' Shai Hope and Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza were also in running for the award.
"If you thought the Pakistan skipper had a year to remember in ODI cricket in 2021, then what he produced during 2022 was even better as the ultra-consistent right-hander maintained his lead as the No.1 ranked batter on the MRF Tyres ICC Men's ODI Player Rankings," the ICC said in a press release.
"It's a title that Babar has held firmly onto since July 2021 and on current form, has no intention of letting go easily.
"It might be surprising to note that Babar only played nine ODI matches in 2022, but the 28-year-old made them count as he smashed three centuries, a further five half-centuries and only really failed with the bat on one occasion.
"And it wasn't just from an individual level that Babar thrived, with the Pakistan captain also leading his team with aplomb and to just one loss throughout the year.
"Pakistan's sole loss in 50-over cricket last year came against Australia in Lahore and on stats alone, it was evident that Babar was an easy selection to win the coveted ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year award in 2022."
Earlier, Azam was also named captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2022.
It must be noted that Azam was also captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year in 2021.
The winners of ICC Awards are identified from the results of the ICC Voting Academy, comprising a wider selection of global cricket journalists and broadcasters, with cricket fans also contributing to the vote via the ICC’s digital channels.
The Performance Period for the awards was January 1 – December 31, 2022.
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