Pakistan’s cricket captain Babar Azam has claimed the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year Award for a second consecutive year after producing many match-winning knocks for his team.Babar Azam scored 679 runs from nine matches at an average of 84.87 with three centuries in 2022.Babar produced even better numbers in 2022 as the ultra-consistent right-hander maintained his lead as the No.1 ranked batter in the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings. 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 Azam 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.It was a must-win encounter for Pakistan after they fell to a loss in the series opener against an always-difficult Australian side and Babar delivered when his country needed him most as his side chased down a massive total of 349 for the loss of just four wickets and with six deliveries to spare.
