Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 24: Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, was named the ICC ODI cricketer of the year on Monday.
In 2021, Babar, a top-order hitter, scored 405 runs at an average of 67.50 in six matches. With 228 runs, the 27-year-old was Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer, and he was named player of the match in both of Pakistan’s victories in the 2-1 series victory over South Africa.
Babar made a century and built the foundation with an 82-ball 94 in the penultimate ODI, architecting Pakistan’s 274-run chase in the first ODI. When Pakistan was swept 3-0 by England, he was the lone warrior. He scored 177 runs in three games but received no help from his teammates, since none of the other batters scored more than 100 runs in the series.
Babar’s best performance this year came against England in the final One-Day International.
Babar, who came in to bat early in the innings, put together a 92-run partnership with Imam-ul-Haq to help Pakistan get out of danger. Initially, he was conservative in his approach, reaching his half-century in 72 balls. He made amends by scoring the following fifty runs in just 32 balls, his second ODI century of the season.
Meanwhile, Marais Erasmus, a South African umpire, was awarded umpire of the year for the third time, following wins in 2016 and 2017. The 57-year-old officiated in the just ended South Africa-India series.
Erasmus oversaw 20 international matches across the three formats in 2021, in addition to the T20 World Cup final.
