After T20, ICC names Pakistani skipper Babar Azam the captain of Men’s ODI Team of the Year. The list was revealed on Thursday. Earlier, he was named the captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year.
Moreover, Babar Azam is not only Pakistan in ODI Team but Pakistan’s middle-order batter, Fakhar Zaman, is also part of the ODI Team. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s other top-batter, Muhammad Rizwan was named the wicket-keeper in the ICC T20I Men’s Team of the Year.
Besides this, Pakistan’s Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Fawad Alam have been named in the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year.
Power-hitters, terrific all-rounders, fiery pacers 🔥
The 2021 ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year has all the bases covered 🤩 pic.twitter.com/R2SCJl04kQ
— ICC (@ICC) January 20, 2022
Fans are excited as Pakistani players with their spectacular performances in all formats have taken over the latest ICC rankings. Babar Azam, leading his team from front, has been shining in all the rankings of the ICC.
Read more: I seek advice from Sarfaraz Ahmed in tough situations: Babar Azam
The ICC, in its statement, noted that Azam played just six ODI matches last year, “but he still managed to score 405 runs at an average of 67.50 with two centuries.”
ICC noted that Babar Azam played crucial innings in tough tours against South Africa and England and win the ‘Man of the Match Awards’.
“He also scored a memorable ton in Birmingham in conditions that assisted the seamers.”
ICC also praised Fakhar Zaman for his stellar performance. According to the ICC, he played six matches and scored 365 runs at an average of 60.83 with two centuries. ICC has labeled Zaman’s century against South Africa as the most impressive one that will be ‘remembered for ages’.
Babar Azam ranks above Virat Kohli
Also, Babar Azam is now above Indian batter Virat Kohli in all cricket rankings. Indian Test skipper is below Pakistan’s Babar Azam in the ICC’s batting rankings in all three formats of cricket.
Virat Kohli was already below Babar Azam in the ODI and T2OI. He has now slipped two-point below Babar Azam in the latest test rankings as well.
Read more: Babar Azam is ranked above Virat Kohli in all cricket formats
Azam is at the top of the ODI batting rankings with 873 points. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is in the second spot with 844 points. In T20I batting rankings, Babar Azam is at the second spot with 805 points while Virat Kohli is at the 11th spot with 657 points.