Ben Stokes and Tim Southee feature in nominations of both categories of ICC awards.
The nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Player of the Year 2022 are Pakistan’s Babar Azam, England captain Ben Stokes, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, and New Zealand’s Tim Southee.
Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain had an outstanding year with 2598 runs in 44 matches across formats. He averaged 54.12, his run haul included eight hundreds and 17 fifties. In 9 ODI matches, he scored 679 runs with eight scores of 50 or more in those matches. He is also the no.1 batter in ICC Men's ODI Player Rankings.
In Tests, he made 1184 runs in just nine matches. As a captain, he led Pakistan to the final of the Asia Cup T20 and T20 World Cup 2022 and the Men in Green won all three ODI series they played, losing just one match out of nine.
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England’s Test captain Ben Stokes scored 1066 runs and took 33 wickets in 28 matches in 2022. Under his captaincy, England’s Test team arose like a phoenix from ashes, winning nine of ten Tests, with Stokes making 870 runs, including two centuries, and picking up 26 wickets.
In T20Is, scored 143 runs in nine matches and picked up seven wickets, with 52 of those coming in the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 against Pakistan. He announced his retirement from ODIs this year.
Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza had an outstanding year in 2022 with 1380 runs and 33 wickets in 39 matches. Raza scored 645 runs at an average of 49.61 in ODIs with three centuries and in T20Is, he had an incredible strike rate of over 150 to accumulate his 745 runs.
New Zealand’s newest full-time Test captain Tim Southee picked 65 wickets in 31 matches, the highest by a Kiwi in the calendar year. 28 of those wickets came in eight Tests for Southee.
He snared 7 wickets in ICC Men's T20 World Cup at an economy of 6.57, with his best performance being 3/6 against Australia.
Ben Stokes changed the fortunes of the England team after he took over the captaincy, winning 9 out of 10 Tests and scoring 870 runs and 26 wickets in 15 matches. His best performance was against South Africa in Manchester where he slammed 103 and picked 2/17 and 2/30 in the match to win the Test and equal the series, which they later won 2-1.
Jonny Bairstow scored 1061 runs in 10 Tests for England in 2022 and was a vital player in England’s renewed approach to red-ball cricket. Given the freedom to play his attacking game, Bairstow had one of the most fruitful years of his Test career.
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He averaged 66.31 and a strike rate of 76. He notched up 6 centuries and 1 half-century. His best came against India in the rescheduled fifth Test where he scored 106 and 114* helping England win the Edgbaston Test and level the five-Test series 2-2.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja scored 1080 runs in 11 matches at a stunning average of 67.50. He also hit four centuries and five half-centuries, helping the Kangaroos having their one foot in the World Test Championship final.
His best his twin centuries (137 and 101*) in the Sydney Test against England.
Kagiso Rabada of South Africa picked 47 wickets in 9 Tests in 2022 at a remarkable average of 22.25 and a devastating strike rate of 34.1. He also registered two five-wicket hauls, with best figures of 5/52. His best was 5/52 and 2/27 against England in Lord’s Test, helping Proteas win by an innings and 12 runs.
(ICC inputs)