On Thursday, January 26th, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has been named the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2022. This is a well-deserved recognition for the young cricket star, who had an outstanding year with the Men in Green.
Babar Azam is a right-handed batsman who is known for his aggressive yet calculated approach to batting. He has consistently delivered strong performances on the field and has quickly established himself as one of the best ODI players in the world. In the 2022 season, he played in nine one-day internationals (ODIs) and amassed a total of 679 runs, with an average of 84.87. He also hit five half-centuries and three centuries, making him one of the top run-scorers of the year.
This is not the first time that Babar Azam has been recognized by the ICC. In 2021, he was also named the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, making him the first Pakistani cricketer to win this award twice in consecutive years. In 2021, he scored 405 runs in six ODIs, with an average of 67.5, including two centuries and a half-century.
Babar Azam’s success is not just limited to the ICC awards. He was also named the skipper of the ICC Men’s ODI XI for 2022, further solidifying his status as one of the best ODI cricketers in the world.
Babar Azam’s achievement is even more remarkable when considering the fact that he is the fourth player in history to win the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award twice in consecutive years. The other players to achieve this milestone are MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli.
MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni, the legendary former Indian skipper, was the first player to win the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award twice in consecutive years, in 2008 and 2009. Dhoni is widely considered one of the best finishers in ODI history and is the only captain to have won all three of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (2007), ICC Men’s ODI World Cup (2011), and the ICC Champions Trophy (2013). In 2008, he finished the year with 1097 runs at an average of just below 58 across 26 innings, and in 2009, he smashed a total of 1198 runs at an average of 70.5, including nine half-centuries and two centuries across 24 innings.
AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers, the South African maestro, is the only non-Asian player to have won the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award twice in consecutive years, in 2014 and 2015. He has also won the award three times in total, having also won it in 2010. In 2014, he smashed 892 runs at an average of 74 and a strike rate of 114.4, including six half-centuries and two centuries. In 2015, he took his game to another level, scoring 1193 runs at an average of 79.53 and a strike rate of 138. He also constructed five half-centuries and as many centuries in the year.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is considered one of the greatest ODI players of all time, with a record of several ICC awards to his name. In 2017, Kohli amassed 1460 runs in ODI matches at an average of 76.8, including seven fifties and six tons, earning him the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award. The following year, in 2018, he continued his outstanding performance by scoring 1202 runs at an average of 133.56 and a strike rate of over 100 across only 14 ODI innings. This led to him winning the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award for the second consecutive year, making him the second Indian after MS Dhoni to achieve this feat.
Furthermore, in 2018 Kohli also won the ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year and the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year. This makes him the only cricketer to have won the prestigious troika of the ICC Player of the Year award till date. With his consistent performances, Kohli has solidified his position as one of the best cricketers in the world, and his record of awards is a testament to his talent and dedication to the sport.
