Babar Azam, Pakistan’s all-round captain, is among the nominees for the prestigious ICC Cricketer of the Year award. Babar is joined by England’s Test captain, Ben Stokes, New Zealand’s Test captain, Tim Southee, and Zimbabwean all-rounder, Sikandar Raza.
Babar had a fantastic year in all three formats, finishing as the highest run-scorer in 2022.
Babar was the only cricketer in the world to score more than 2,000 runs in international cricket in a calendar year, scoring 2,598 runs at an average of 54.12 in 52 innings.
The stylish batter also had the most international centuries in a calendar year, with eight. Jonny Bairstow of England was second on the list with six centuries. In 2022, Babar scored four centuries in Tests, three in ODIs, and one in T20Is.
Babar is nominated alongside Ben Stokes, who had an outstanding year as England’s Test captain and played a key role in England’s T20 World Cup victory in Australia.
In 28 international matches this year, Stokes scored 1,066 runs and took 33 wickets.
As captain, Stokes was able to turn England’s fortunes around, leading them to a historic whitewash against Pakistan in a three-match series.
Tim Southee, a New Zealand pacer, was one of the show’s highlights.
In 39 innings of international cricket in 2022, Southee took 65 wickets at an average of 28.67. Southee is also on the verge of leading New Zealand to victory in the first Test against Pakistan, which is currently underway in Karachi.
Finally, Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe is the fourth nominee for the award. Raza has also been nominated for ODI and T20I player of the year.
Throughout the season, Raza was outstanding with both the bat and the ball. In 39 matches played during the calendar year, he scored 1,380 runs and took 33 wickets.
To read our blog on “The highest test ranking in Babar Azam’s career,” click here
