Babar Azam on Thursday (January 26) added another feather to his cap. After being named the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for his stunning exploits in 2022, the Pakistan skipper also bagged the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year honour.
Babar claimed the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for scoring 2598 runs in the last calendar year over 44 matches at an impressive average of 54.12, including eight centuries and 15 fifties.
Although results didn’t go in Pakistan’s favour, Babar enjoyed a tremendous year in Test cricket. He aggregated 1184 runs from nine Tests at an average of 69.64 with four hundreds and seven half-centuries.
Babar continued to rule in the 50-over format, scoring 679 runs from nine matches at a remarkable average of 84.87. The 28-year-old slammed three centuries, five half-centuries and only really failed with the bat on one occasion.
In T20Is, Babar Azam led Pakistan to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 final and also amassed 735 runs from 26 games at a strike rate of 123.32 with one ton and five fifties.
In the women’s category, England’s Nat Sciver clinched the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year.
The sublime all-rounder finished the year with 1346 runs and 22 wickets from 33 international matches, while also captaining England for much of her side’s home summer.
She was exceptional in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, returning as the tournament’s third-highest scorer and playing a key role in England’s journey to the final. In the final, Sciver played a jaw-dropping knock of 148* from 121 balls against the ultimate champions Australia.
In the longest format, she was the standout performer against South Africa in both of her team's Tests in the year, smashing a dazzling 169* that put England in complete control of the second Test.
In ODIs, Sciver finished second in run-getters chart behind Laura Wolvaardt, amassing 833 runs at an average of 59.5 and a strike-rate of 91.43.
Nat Sciver pipped India’s Smriti Mandhana, New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr and Australia’s Beth Mooney to claim the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award.
