Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been named as the captain of the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2021, announced by the global cricket body on Thursday, January 20. He was also named as the captain of the ICC T20I Team of the Year announced on Wednesday.
Once again, no Indian has featured in the ODI Team of the Year. There were no Indians in the ICC T20I Men’s Team of the Year but Smriti Mandhana found a spot in the Women’s T20I Team of the Year.
Ireland opener Paul Stirling, who scored 885 runs including 3 hundreds in 2021, has been named the opener along with South Africa’s Janneman Malan.
While Babar will bat at No. 3, Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman gets the nod for the No. 4 spot. Rassie van der Dussen, who hit a match-winning 129 against India in Paarl on Wednesday, gets a place in the middle-order.
Despite having played only 6 matches in 2021, Babar still managed to score 405 runs at an average of 67.50 with two centuries. The talismanic Pakistan skipper made vital contributions in tough away tours of South Africa and England.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan gets the nod for the all-rounder spot while wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim will handle the glovework.
Sri Lanka’s Wanidu Hasaranga, who was also in the T20I Team of the Year, is the leg-spinner in the ODI XI. Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman handle the pace-bowling department along with Ireland’s Simi Singh.
ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year: Babar Azam (captain), Paul Stirling, Janneman Malan, Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Wanidu Hasaranga, Musafizur Rahman, Simi Singh, Dushmantha Chameera.
