LAHORE: In a major accolade for Pakistan cricket, captain Babar Azam was named one-day player of the year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday.
This marks the second consecutive year that Azam, 28, has received the award, which recognizes his exceptional performance and match-winning abilities.
The ICC noted that Azam amassed an impressive 679 runs from just nine ODIs in the past year, with an average of 84.87 and three centuries and five half-centuries to his name.
Additionally, Azam maintained his position as the top-ranked batter on the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, a title he has held since July 2021.
The ICC also praised Azam for his leadership as Pakistan’s captain, leading his team to just one loss throughout the year, against Australia in Lahore.
Cricket statistician Mazher Arshad described Azam as “truly an ODI great,” and the ICC highlighted his score of 114 against Australia in Lahore as his most memorable performance of the year.
