Babar Azam Captains ICC ODI Team of the Year for the 2nd Time

The recently revealed ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year features a star-studded lineup led by Pakistan’s Babar Azam as captain.

These players have been on top of their games throughout the year, with some memorable performances. 

The team is as follows: 

1. Babar Azam (Pakistan, captain)
2. Travis Head (Australia)
3. Shai Hope (West Indies)
4. Shreyas Iyer (India)
5. Tom Latham (New Zealand, wicketkeeper)
6. Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
7. Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh)
8. Alzarri Joseph (West Indies)
9. Mohammed Siraj (India)
10. Trent Boult (New Zealand)
11. Adam Zampa (Australia)

Related: 3 Indians & 2 Pakistanis in ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2022

ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2022 Breakdown

1. Babar Azam

Pakistan’s run-machine has made it to the ODI TOTY yet again. Babar Azam has been ever so reliable for Pakistan in the 50-over format. In 2022, especially, he amassed 679 runs at an extraordinary average of 84.87.

Not only that, out of the 9 ODIs Pakistan played, he made 50 or more runs in 8 of them. Besides, Pakistan won all three of their one-day series in 2022 with Babar leading from the front. 

As a result, he has been rewarded with the captaincy of the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for the second consecutive time.

2. Travis Head

Whether it be Test or ODI cricket, Travis Head has become an important part of the Australian cricket team. In the 50-over format last year, he was given the responsibility of opening the innings post-Aaron Finch’s retirement. 

Head went on to hit two centuries and three fifties, making a total of 550 runs in just nine matches. He maintained a strike-rate of 112.24 to go with a healthy average of 68.75.

3. Shai Hope

Hope didn’t have the best of averages, but his runs certainly helped his team. His 2022 didn’t begin according to plan, but he recovered in the second half of the year by finishing with 709 runs at an average of 35.45. 

These runs included three hundreds and two fifties for the West Indian batsman.

4. Shreyas Iyer

Iyer is slowly but surely becoming a fundamental part of the Indian middle order. Not only does he make consistent runs, but his strike rate is in the 90s as well. 

In 2022, Iyer emerged as one of the prominent Indian batsmen, having scored 724 runs from 17 matches. He made those runs at an average of 55.69 to go with his strike-rate of 91.52.

5. Tom Latham

Latham’s highlight was his standout inning of 145*(104) against India in 2022. Given the role of the WK-batsman in the ODI Team of the Year, there weren’t many choices better than him.

Latham had a stellar 2022, making 558 runs in 15 matches at an average of 55.80 and a strike-rate of 101.27.

6. Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza had a brilliant run in white-ball cricket in 2022, to say the least. He is also a part of the T20I Team of the Year and finds a spot in the 50-over lineup in addition.

At an average of 49.61, Raza made 645 runs in 2022, which included a sensational century against India. He made three 100s in total to go with two 50s. 

Moreover, he did the magic with the ball in hand as well by picking up 8 wickets at an economy rate of less than 6.

7. Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Mehidy was the main reason why Bangladesh defeated India in the last ODI series. He saved Bangladesh in the first ODI by chasing the target with nine wickets down and made a century in the second game to rescue the Tigers again.

Overall, he made 330 runs with the bat in 2022 at an average of 66, including a fifty and a century. With the ball, he averaged 28.20 with 24 wickets in 15 games.

8. Alzarri Joseph

Joseph has been the find for West Indies in 2022. He has worked on his line, length, and pace to become the go-to man for the Caribbean team.

The numbers speak for themselves. He had an economy rate of only 4.61 in 17 matches and picked up 27 wickets in pursuit.

9. Mohammed Siraj

A fearsome bowler with the new ball and even better with an older one. Siraj has a knack for picking up wickets every now and then. He is the most lethal in the first power play, swinging the ball both ways and getting wickets regularly.

In 2022, he had 24 dismissals to his name from 15 matches, at an average of 23.50. Besides, his economy rate was just 4.62. 

Siraj is currently the third-ranked ODI bowler in the world and is of course targeting the No. 1 spot.

10. Trent Boult

Boult made it to the ODI Team of the Year by playing no more than six matches. It was because of his exceptional performances in those games. Boult got 18 wickets from 6 matches at an average of 12.38. 

He didn’t leak many runs either. The economy rate of Trent throughout was under 4 at 3.98 runs per over. 

11. Adam Zampa

As a result of picking up 30 wickets, Zampa became the leading wicket-taker for Australia in 2022. Furthermore, his bowling average was 17.53 and the economy rate was under 5. 

Considering he played 9 of those 12 matches in Australia, it’s an outstanding performance in particular.

Final Words

In conclusion, the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2022 checks all the boxes. There’s a lot of variety in batting, bowling, and all-round abilities.

All these players were at their best last year and would obviously want to continue their form in 2023. 

With the ICC ODI World Cup scheduled this year, these individuals would have a major role to play for their teams.