ICC Awards: Babar Azam declared cricketer of the year for 2022

Pakistan's batting genius Babar Azam has bagged another accolade as he has been named the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men's Cricketer of 2022. 

The Pakistan skipper scored 2598 runs in 44 matches in 2022, averaging 54.12 with eight centuries and 15 half-centuries. 

In 2022, Babar became the only player to breach the 2,000-run mark during the calendar year across all formats, scoring 679 ODI runs with eight 50+ scores in nine games. 

The right-hander, to no surprise, holds the top spot in ICC ODI batting rankings, with 4th spot in T20Is and 3rd in Tests. 

The 28-year-old also retained his ODI batting crown of 2021 by winning the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award for 2022. 

The batting maestro also became the only player in history to score three-consecutive ODI centuries twice. He scored two consecutive centuries against Australia and one against West Indies in 2022.  

Despite the results not always going Pakistan's way, Babar enjoyed a tremendous year in Test cricket. He scored 1,184 runs from just nine matches and did the bulk of the heavy lifting for Pakistan in the longer format.

The year was a breakthrough one for Babar as a white-ball captain too. Under Babar's captaincy, Pakistan won all three ODI series they played, losing just one match out of nine at the hands of Australia.

Pakistan became the finalist of the T20 World Cup in Australia under Babar's captaincy —their first since 2009. 

The ICC has also termed his 196 in the Karachi Test his most memorable performance of the year.