Babar Azam among nominees for T20I Cricketer of the Year award

Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam has been nominated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award.

The former Pakistan captain is in competition with Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh, Australia’s batter Travis Head and Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza for the T20I Cricketer of the Year award.

“An Indian who starred in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph joins a Zimbabwe ace and two quality batters from Pakistan and Australia in the nominees for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year,” the ICC said in a press statement.

Babar Azam remained the top run scorer for Pakistan despite a year marked by ups and downs.

The right-handed batter scored a total of 738 runs across 24 matches at an average of 33.54 and a strike rate of 133.21.

The former Pakistan captain scored six half-centuries and was the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in the last 12 months.

Babar Azam is set to break Indian batter Rohit Sharma’s record as the highest run-getter in T20I cricket, trailing behind him by just eight runs.

It is worth noting here that Babar Azam claimed the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year Award for a second consecutive year in 2023.

The star batter scored 679 runs from nine matches at an average of 84.87 with three centuries in 2022.

The right-handed batter carried on his astounding form in the 50-over format and crossed the fifty-plus score eight times and converted three of those into centuries. Babar Azam finished 2022 with a stunning average of 84.87.