ICC Awards: Babar Azam named ODI and Cricketer of the Year for stellar show in 2022

Karachi, Jan 26: Pakistan captain and star batter Babar Azam swept the ICC Awards for the year 2022.

The exceedingly talented right-handed batter has won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year and was also named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year.

Babar has been named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer for the second consecutive year and showcased his dominance on the pitch.

Babar Azam Stats in 2022

The 28-year-old stylish batter amassed a total of 2598 international runs in 44 matches at an average of 54.12. The charismatic batter slammed eight centuries and 15 half-centuries during that period and stamped his authority with the bat on the cricket pitch.

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Babar was the only player to breach the 2000-run mark during the calendar year across all formats, and he did it in style as he broke past that milestone in style while amassing a whopping 2598 runs at an imposing average of 54.12.

His haul of eight hundreds and 17 fifties during the calendar year was Babar's best of his career to date and there's no doubt the dynamic right-hander is currently at the top of his game.

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He enjoyed a tremendous year in Test cricket, despite team results not always going his way. He accumulated 1184 runs from just nine matches and did the bulk of the heavy lifting for Pakistan in the longer format.

Babar Azam in ODIs in 2022

The Pakistan batting mainstay scored 679 runs from nine ODI matches at an average of 84.87 with three centuries in 2022.

It might be surprising to note that Babar only played nine ODI matches in 2022, but the 28-year-old made them count as he smashed three centuries, a further five half-centuries and only really failed with the bat on one occasion.

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And it wasn't just from an individual level that Babar thrived, with the Pakistan captain also leading his team with aplomb and to just one loss throughout the year.

Pakistan's sole loss in 50-over cricket last year came against Australia in Lahore and on stats alone, it was evident that Babar was an easy selection to win the coveted ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year award in 2022.

Babar Azam as ODI and T20I captain in 2022

It was also a memorable year for Babar as captain in the white-ball formats as Pakistan won all three ODI series they played, losing just one match out of nine at the hands of Australia.

In the T20I format, he led Pakistan to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final - their first since 2009 - as Babar's side finished runners-up behind eventual champions England.

However, it wasn't a year to remember for Babar as a Test skipper as his team did terribly in the red-ball format at home. The team lost back-to-back series at home against Australia and England respectively. England defeated Pakistan 3-0 in a one-sided series.

Pakistan's final Test series in 2022 was against New Zealand and a win eluded the home side as both matches ended in a draw against the Kane Williamson-led side.