DUBAI: Pakistani star opening batter Saim Ayub has been rewarded for his stellar performance in the ODI format last year.
Saim, who is most likely to miss Champions Trophy 2025 due to an ankle injury, has been added to the ICC ODI team of the year (2024) for his consistent performance.
Since his debut in November 2024, Saim has scored 515 runs in nine matches at an outstanding average of 64.37 and a strike rate of 105.53. His runs tally includes three centuries and one half-century, with a career-best score of 113 not out.
The latest ODI series against South Africa was particularly outstanding for him. The 22-year-old scored two centuries in three games and finished with an impressive average of 78.3.
Apart from Saim, Pakistan's pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf has also been included in the team.
Shaheen took 15 wickets in six matches at an impressive average of 17.6, with his best figures of 4/47. On the other hand, Rauf claimed 13 wickets in eight matches at an average of 22.4, including his best figures of 5/29.
Surprisingly, no Indian player was included in the team of 2024.
Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, and Wanindu Hasaranga have also made it to the elite squad.
West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai, and AM Ghazanfar were also spotted on the list.
Afghanistan’s Gurbaz made his impact during the 2024 series against Sri Lanka, Ireland, South Africa, and Bangladesh.
In 2024, Gurbaz scored 531 runs in 11 matches at an average of 48.2. The wicketkeeper-batter smoked three centuries and two fifties.
Afghanistan’s off-spinner AM Ghazanfar was also added for his 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.57.
Omarzai made it to the list following his impressive all-around performance throughout 2024.
He scored 417 runs in 12 matches at an impressive average of 52.1 and a strike rate of 105.6. On the bowling front, he claimed 17 wickets.
Sri Lanka’s wicket-keeper-batter, Mendis, was the top ODI run-scorer for 2024.
In 17 matches, he amassed 742 runs at an average of 53, with a highest score of 143 against New Zealand.
Nissanka had a remarkable year, scoring 694 runs in just 12 matches at an average of 63.1 and a strike rate of 106.4.
The Lions’ skipper, Asalanka, contributed 605 runs in 16 matches at an average of 50.2.
His year included a century against Zimbabwe and four fifties, with two scores in the 90s.
Hasaranga dominated with the ball, claiming 26 wickets in just 10 matches at an impressive average of 15.6.
In addition, his stunning figures of 7/19 against Zimbabwe in January stand as the fifth-best bowling performance in ODI history.
Meanwhile, Windies Rutherford impressed with his 425 runs in nine matches, with a highest score of 113.
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