Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, has been nominated for the International Cricket Council (ICC’s) T20I cricketer of the Year award.
Over the past year, Babar played 24 matches, scoring 738 runs with an average of 33.54 and a highest score of 75*.
Despite a mixed year, Babar outshone all other Pakistan batters, amassing the most T20I runs in the past 12 months.
READ: Saim Ayub nominated in ICC’s men’s emerging cricketer of the year
His performance included six fifties and nearly 100 boundaries, with an improved strike rate of 133.21.
At just 30 years old, Babar is on the verge of breaking Rohit Sharma’s record for the most T20I runs, sitting only eight runs behind Sharma’s tally of 4,231.
A standout moment from the year came during Pakistan’s tour of Ireland before the T20 World Cup.
INNINGS BY INNINGS LIST | |||||||
Runs | Ball Faced | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Opposition | Ground | Start Date Ascending |
57 | 35 | 6 | 2 | 162.85 | v New Zealand | Auckland | 12-Jan-24 |
66 | 43 | 7 | 2 | 153.48 | v New Zealand | Hamilton | 14-Jan-24 |
58 | 37 | 8 | 1 | 156.75 | v New Zealand | Dunedin | 17-Jan-24 |
19 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 172.72 | v New Zealand | Christchurch | 19-Jan-24 |
13 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 54.16 | v New Zealand | Christchurch | 21-Jan-24 |
TDNB | – | – | – | – | v New Zealand | Rawalpindi | 18-Apr-24 |
14 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 107.69 | v New Zealand | Rawalpindi | 20-Apr-24 |
37 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 127.58 | v New Zealand | Rawalpindi | 21-Apr-24 |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 125 | v New Zealand | Lahore | 25-Apr-24 |
69 | 44 | 6 | 2 | 156.81 | v New Zealand | Lahore | 27-Apr-24 |
57 | 43 | 8 | 1 | 132.55 | v Ireland | Dublin | 10-May-24 |
0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | v Ireland | Dublin | 12-May-24 |
75 | 42 | 6 | 5 | 178.57 | v Ireland | Dublin | 14-May-24 |
32 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 123.07 | v England | Birmingham | 25-May-24 |
36 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 163.63 | v England | The Oval | 30-May-24 |
44 | 43 | 3 | 2 | 102.32 | v U.S.A. | Dallas | 6-Jun-24 |
13 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 130 | v India | New York | 9-Jun-24 |
33 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 100 | v Canada | New York | 11-Jun-24 |
32* | 34 | 2 | 0 | 94.11 | v Ireland | Lauderhill | 16-Jun-24 |
3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 150 | v Australia | Brisbane | 14-Nov-24 |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | v Australia | Sydney | 16-Nov-24 |
41 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 146.42 | v Australia | Hobart | 18-Nov-24 |
0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | v South Africa | Durban | 10-Dec-24 |
31 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 155 | v South Africa | Centurion | 13-Dec-24 |
After a surprise loss in the first T20I, Babar led his team to victory in the series decider, scoring an explosive 75 off 42 balls, including six fours and five sixes, at a strike rate of 178.57.
This performance was crucial in securing Pakistan’s win.
Alongside Pakistan’s Babar Azam, India’s Arshdeep Singh, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, and Australia’s Travis Head also nominated for the same award category.