The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, announced the names of the XI players who would make up the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year, captained by Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
Mohammad Rizwan, the wicketkeeper-batter, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, the bowling wonder, were both included in the squad.
The ICC stated in a statement that the Men’s T20I Team of the Year award aims to recognise 11 great players who have amazed everyone, “whether it with the bat, the ball, or their all-round performance in a calendar year,” according to the statement.
In 2021, the Pakistan captain was at his classiest in the shortest format, finishing as the tournament’s highest run-scorer at the T20 World Cup.
Babar scored 939 runs at an average of 37.56 in 29 matches, including one century and nine half-centuries. His captaincy was also hailed as he guided his team to the T20 World Cup semi-finals in the UAE and Oman.
Rizwan scored 1,326 runs in only 29 matches, averaging 73.66 and striking at a pace of 134.89. When it came to the shortest format of the game in 2021, Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman controlled the roost.
Apart from his batting, he remained as reliable as ever behind the wickets, helping Pakistan reach the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he finished as the third-highest run-scorer.
Shaheen Afridi had a memorable year, especially in the shortest version of the game. Afridi took 23 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 26.04 and an economy of 7.86, extracting excellent movement with the new ball and reversing it with the old.
Shaheen, who is still only 21, will most certainly command Pakistan’s pace bowling squad for many years to come, and with his bowling already improving at a quick pace, he will surely be a frightening proposition.
Jos Buttler (England), Aiden Markram (South Africa), Mitchell Marsh (Australia), David Miller (South Africa), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa), Josh Hazlewood (Australia), and Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) are among the others.
