Babar Azam, captain and standout batsman of Pakistan team, was named the International Cricket Council (ICC) One Day International (ODI) Player of 2022 on Thursday, taking home the prestigious title for the second year in a row.
In the year 2022 Azam amassed 679 runs from just nine games at an average of 84.87, including three hundreds in ODI matches.
Adam Zampa of Australia, Shai Hope of the West Indies, and Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe were also contenders for the honour.
“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.
Stating that the Babar has firmly held on to the title since July 2021, ICC said that in his current form, the batsman 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,” the cricket governing body said, lavishing praise on the Pakistani batsman.
