DUBAI – Pakistan captain Babar Azam achieved another feat as he has been voted the ICC Player of the Month for March 2022.
Azam was at his brilliant best throughout March, with his superb 196 in the second Test against Australia in Karachi a clear standout as he beat West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Australia skipper Pat Cummins for the coveted monthly award and becomes the first player to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award on two occasions, having won the title in April 2021, the International Cricket Council said its statement.
In the recently concluded Benaud-Qadir Trophy, Azam finished as the third-highest run-scorer after Usman Khawaja and Abdullah Shafique. In his five outings, he scored 390 runs at an average of 78, including two half-centuries and a century. The highlight of the series was his match-saving 196 in the second innings of the second Test in Karachi.
Azam continued his outstanding form in the ODI series, playing vital knocks in the first two games. In the first ODI, he notched up a score of 57 in Pakistan’s 88-run loss before scoring a brilliant 118 to lead Pakistan to a six-wicket win in the second contest.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Rachael Haynes has been named as the ICC player of the month for March 2022 in women category.
Babar Azam retains top spot, Imam jumps to 3rd in latest ICC ODI rankings