DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has nominated Pakistan all-format player Babar Azam for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Player of the Year 2022.
Babar has been nominated for the most coveted prize in cricket, with England’s Ben Stokes, New Zealand’s Tim Southee, and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza.
The right-handed hitter, who is ranked in the top five in each format, scored 2598 runs in 44 matches in 2022.
Babar was the only player in the calendar year 2022 to surpass the 2000-run barrier, with his 2598 runs coming at an average of 54.12, including eight hundreds and 17 fifties.
“The 2021 ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year continued to reign in the 50-over format, amassing 679 runs in nine matches. “It is a credit to his consistency that he scored 50 or more in eight of those innings,” said the International Cricket Council in a news release.
“He maintains his top status in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings and is once again in contention for the ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year 2022,” the statement said.
Aside from Babar, England’s Stokes, who scored 1066 runs and claimed 33 wickets in 28 matches across formats, has reaped the benefits of his steady efforts, including a gutsy 52* in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final against Pakistan.
Zimbabwean all-rounder Raza, on the other hand, continued to wow with his incredible all-round abilities and so had a fantastic year. In 39 matches, the right-handed batsman scored 1380 runs and took 33 wickets.
Meanwhile, Southee, who is now playing the first Test against Pakistan, has taken 65 wickets in 31 matches this year, the most by a New Zealand bowler in a calendar year.
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