Babar Azam opens up after winning Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
Pakistan captain was named ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year for 2022
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has opened up after winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year for 2022 on Thursday.
He scored 2598 runs in 44 matches at an average of 54.12 with eight centuries and 15 half-centuries in 2022.
“It is an honour for me to win this award. I can’t express my happiness in words because I’m now part of an elusive list of legends who have won this award,” Azam said.
“My family, teammates and fans deserve credit for this award since they have always supported me,” he added.
Azam also stated that consistent performances throughout the year helped him win this award.
“There is a lot of hard work behind this award since you have to perform consistently in both home and away conditions,” he said. “There is a lot of cricket happening these days and you have to quickly switch between formats. However, this helps in improving a player’s performance since he becomes mentally strong while also ensuring proper focus on fitness.”
The prolific right-hander also thanked the ICC for recognising his achievements.
“Winning this award gives me confidence and I will try to continue performing in the same manner in the future as well. I also want to thank the ICC for considering me as a suitable choice for this award,” he concluded.
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.
Meanwhile, he also bagged the award for ICC ODI Player of the Year. Azam has been named ICC ODI Cricketer Of The Year for the second year in a row. Before him, no one from Pakistan had received this award.
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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