Babar Azam wins ICC Cricketer of the Year award

DUBAI – Pakistani skipper Babar Azam on Thursday won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.

Earlier today, the stylish batsman also won ICC ODI Player of the Year award for the second time in a row.

Babar Azam scored 2,598 runs in 44 matches at an average of 54.12 with eight centuries and 15 half-centuries in 2022.

Double delight for Babar Azam 🤩

After being named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year, the Pakistan star bags the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year 👏#ICCAwards

— ICC (@ICC) January 26, 2023

It’s hard to believe that Babar Azam even further elevated his game during 2022 as the inspirational skipper broke more individual records and ensured Pakistan’s star continued to shine brightly.

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, said ICC in a press release.

Babar also scored 679 runs in nine matches. It is a testament to his consistency that he registered scores of 50 or more in eight of those innings. He continues to hold on to his top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings and it was no surprise to see the 28-year-old crowned the ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year for a second consecutive year.

Babar also 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.

It was also a memorable year for Babar as captain in the white-ball formats – 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.

Last year, Pakistan's star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was crowned the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2021.