ICC ODI Team of the year: Babar Azam Named Captain, 2 Indians Find Spots in Playing XI

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its men’s ODI Team of the Year 2022 on Tuesday. Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam has been named the leader of the pack while New Zealand captain Tom Latham dons the wicketkeeping gloves. As many as two Indian players – Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj – find spots in the XI.

Captain Babar forms the top-order with Australia’s Travis Head. Babar scored 8 fifty-plus scores in 9 games and finished the year 2022 with 679 runs at a stunning average of 84.87. Head brilliantly reinvented himself as an opener in ODIs, becoming one of Australia’s most consistent batters in the format. He notched up 550 runs from nine games at 68.75.

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West Indies’ Shai Hope was named at no. 3. He did not get off to the greatest of starts in 2022 but finished the year with 709 runs, which include three hundreds and two fifties, at an average of 35.45.

At number 4, it’s India’s Shreyas Iyer who played 17 games during the calendar year and scored 724 runs at an average of 55.69. He scored his runs at a brisk pace of 91.52, which included one century and six fifties.

Next in the line is Zimbabwe veteran Sikander Raza. 2022 witnessed the resurgence of Raza who aggregated 645 runs at an average of 49.61 and strike rate of 87.16, making two fifties to complement three centuries.

Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraj follows next who had a phenomenal 2022. He picked up 24 wickets in 15 games at an average of 28.20 with a best performance of 4/29. He also scored 330 runs at a stunning average of 66, with one century and one fifty.

Young West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph founds a spot in the attack if the ICC ODI XI of 2022. He played 17 matches and scalped 27 wickets at an average of 25.70 and a strike rate of 33.4. He was also miserly with an economy rate of 4.61, with the best figures of 3/36.

Another Indian player in the line-up is Siraj who has delivered with both the new and old ball. He played 15 matches and picked up 24 wickets. His wickets came at an economy of 4.62 and an average of 23.50, with best figures of 3/29.

New Zealand Trent Boult and Adam Zampa are the last two names in the line-up. Boult played only six games in 2022 but made a massive impact in them. He scalped 18 wickets at a stunning average of 12.38 and a miserly economy of 3.98, with best figures of 4/38.

Meanwhile, Zampa enjoyed his joint-most prolific year in ODI cricket, matching his tally of 30 wickets from his debut year in 2016. His feat was even more impressive this year considering nine of the 12 matches he played were at home, where conditions aren’t favourable for spinners.

ICC ODI Team of the year: Babar Azam (C) (PAK), Travis Head (AUS), Shai Hope (WI), Shreyas Iyer (IND), Tom Latham (wk) (NZ), Sikander Raza (ZIM), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (BAN), Alzarri Joseph (WI), Mohammed Siraj (IND), Trent Boult (NZ), Adam Zampa (AUS).

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