The year 2022 is coming to an end in a couple of weeks. While there are still important matches to be played yet in the coming weeks – mostly three high-profile Test series will be occupying everyone’s screens – we can see back the top run-scorers of 2022 so far.
In all likelihood, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is going to end 2022 as the top international run-scorer this year with the next best still 500 runs away.Babar has scored 2291 runs this year across the three formats in 48 innings at a terrific average of 52. He has raised 3 Test centuries – vs Australia, Sri Lanka, and England – 3 ODIs centuries – vs Australia and West Indies – and one T20I century – vs England – this year along with 15 half-centuriesBangladesh batsman Litton Das has been in superb form this year, having amassed 1780 runs in 46 innings at an average of 40.Das has stroked 3 centuries in 2022 so far – 2 in Tests – vs Sri Lanka in Mirpur and in Christchurch vs New Zealand, along with one ODI ton vs Afghanistan. Das also registered 12 fifties. At the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, Litton scored 127 runs at a strike rate of 142
There is no surprise seeing Mohammad Rizwan here, at the third place in this list. For Rizwan has been in stunning run-scoring form in T20Is over the last couple of years since he was promoted as an opener.
In 2022, Rizwan has scored so far 1572 runs in 45 innings at an average of 40. Of these 1572, 996 runs alone have come in T20Is where he’s averaged 45, and hit 10 fifties of his 12 overall. Rizwan’s only century this year came in March in the Karachi Test against Australia
Although he’s not part of India’s first-choice T20I eleven, Shreyas Iyer has been phenomenal in ODI cricket this year and is close to cementing a spot in the side, and has now been selected regularly in the Test side too.
About half of Iyer’s 1489 runs in 2022 so far, 724 runs have come in ODIs at an average of 55 with one century – vs South Africa – and 6 fifties. In 17 T20Is he’s played in this year, Iyer scored 463 runs at an average of 35 and strike rate of 141 hitting 4 fifties. And in 6 Test innings, Iyer averages 60 with 3 fifties
While he’s been dropped from Australia’s T20I side, Steve Smith has been sublime touch in the other two formats. In 9 Tests so far in 2022, Smith averages 62 having scored 749 runs and raised 2 hundreds, including a best of 200* vs West Indies, and 4 fifties. He’s been belligerent in ODIs too: in 11 innings, Smith has raised 1 hundred – vs New Zealand – and 4 half-centuries, scoring 539 runs and averages 67 in ODIs in 2022
