The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Thursday, December 29, 2022, unveiled their nominees for the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2022 and Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2022 awards. Four players each were nominated for the year-end awards.
Nominees for the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2022
Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been nominated for scoring 679 runs in 9 ODIs at an average of 84.87 in 2022 which included eight scores of more than fifty, three of which he converted into hundreds.
His best knock was 114 in the second ODI against Australia in Lahore. Chasing 349 runs to win the match, Babar walked in with Pakistan needing 231 from 187 balls and brought up his hundred off just 73 balls, his fastest ever in ODI cricket, and stuck around till the 44th over, as Pakistan completed their highest-ever successful chase in ODIs.
Adam Zampa
Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa picked 30 wickets in 12 ODIs in 2022. He played 9 ODIs out of 12 in Australia where conditions aren't favorable for spinners. His best performance was against New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match series.
Defending 196 runs, Adam Zampa picked 5/35 as New Zealand crashed to 82 all out. He had also scored a crucial 16 runs, stitching a 31-run stand with Mitchell Starc for the ninth wicket.
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Sikandar Raza
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza had an outstanding year in 2022 with both the bat and the ball in ODIs, as he scored 645 runs and picked 8 wickets in 15 matches. He averaged 49.61 and a strike rate of 87.16, hitting two fifties and three centuries.
In the second ODI against Bangladesh, Raza pulled the rabbit out of the hat with 135 off 109 while chasing 304. Then in the next match, when Zimbabwe was 49/4 chasing 292, Raza made 117* off 127 balls and stayed till the end and took Zimbabwe home as they recorded a rare series victory for the hosts.
Shai Hope
Shai Hope was a shining star for the West Indies in ODIs scoring 709 runs in 21 matches which include three hundreds and two fifties, at an average of 35.45. His best performance came against the Netherlands in the three-match ODI series in May-June 2022.
Chasing 241 in Amstelveen in a rain-reduced 45-overs-per-side match, He made 119* in 130 balls, adding two 100-run partnerships, first with Shamarh Brooks for the first wicket and then with Brandon King for the unbeaten fourth wicket.
Nominees for the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2022
Shabnim Ismail
Shabnim Ismail took 37 wickets in 17 WODI matches for South Africa, including consecutive four-wicket hauls during South Africa's home series against the West Indies. She also picked 14 wickets in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. Her best performance was a haul of 5/8 against Ireland in Dublin which included four maidens from 8.5 overs.
Amelia Kerr
New Zealand star Amelia Kerr starred by scoring 676 runs and 17 wickets from 18 WODIs in 2022. She scored three half-centuries and a century during the five-match series against India in Queenstown prior to ICC Women’s World Cup.
In the said tournament, she starred for New Zealand with 204 runs and picked up nine wickets. Her best performance was a dominating century against India in Queenstown, where she made 119* in 135 balls helping the white ferns successfully chase down 271 runs.
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Nat Sciver
Nat Sciver of England made 833 runs and took 11 wickets from 17 WODIs in 2022, smashing five half-centuries and two centuries. She was the star for England in Women’s World Cup 2022 with 436 runs. She also helped England record a 3-0 series sweep over the West Indies in the Caribbean.
Her best knock came in the Women’s World Cup final when England chased Australia's 356/5. Sciver almost took England past the finish line with a career-best 148*, hitting 15 fours and a six during her entertaining 121-ball stay.
Alyssa Healy
629 runs, eight catches and four stumpings from 12 WODIs was Alyssa Healy’s performance for Australia in 2022, a year in which they won the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. Healy saved her best performance for the knockouts in the tournament where she scored back-to-back centuries in the semi-final and final to help Australia clinch a seventh World Cup title.
She finished the tournament with 509 runs at an imposing average of 56 and was named Player of the Series. He best knock came in the final, where she thumped a career-best 170 from just 138 deliveries, adding 160 with Rachel Haynes and then 156 with Beth Mooney as Australia posted 356/5.
(ICC inputs)
