On Tuesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed its Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2022, with Pakistan’s Babar Azam as the team captain and New Zealand’s Tom Latham as the wicketkeeper. Two Indian players, Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj, were also selected for the team.
Captain Babar and Travis Head lead the top-order for Australia. Babar had an impressive year in 2022, scoring 8 half-centuries in 9 games and ending with 679 runs at an average of 84.87. Meanwhile, Head successfully transitioned to opening in ODIs and established himself as a reliable batter for Australia, accumulating 550 runs from nine games with an average of 68.75.
West Indies’ Shai Hope was positioned at number three. He had a slow start to the year 2022, but ended up with 709 runs, including three centuries and two half-centuries, at an average of 35.45.
India’s Shreyas Iyer occupies the fourth spot. He played 17 games throughout the year and amassed 724 runs with an average of 55.69. He had a quick scoring rate of 91.52, including one century and six half-centuries.
Following is Zimbabwe veteran Sikander Raza. 2022 saw a resurgence in Raza’s performance as he accumulated 645 runs at an average of 49.61 and strike rate of 87.16, with three centuries and two half-centuries.
Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraj is next in line, who had a remarkable 2022. He claimed 24 wickets in 15 games with an average of 28.20 and a best performance of 4/29. He also contributed with the bat, scoring 330 runs at an impressive average of 66, including one century and one half-century.
West Indies’ young pacer Alzarri Joseph secured a spot in the ICC ODI XI of 2022 for his exceptional performance. He played 17 matches and picked up 27 wickets with an average of 25.70 and strike rate of 33.4. He was also economical, with an economy rate of 4.61 and best figures of 3/36.
Another Indian player in the team is Siraj, who performed well with both new and old ball. He featured in 15 matches and took 24 wickets, at an economy rate of 4.62 and an average of 23.50, with his best figures being 3/29.
The final two players in the team are New Zealand’s Trent Boult and Adam Zampa. Although Boult only played in six games in 2022, he made a significant impact by taking 18 wickets with an impressive average of 12.38 and an economy rate of 3.98. His best figures were 4/38.
Adam Zampa, on the other hand, had his most successful year in ODI cricket, equaling his record of 30 wickets from his debut year in 2016. This was even more remarkable as nine out of the twelve games he played were on home soil, where conditions are not typically favorable for spin bowlers.
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).
