ICC – International Cricket Council also known as the world cricket’s governing body has finally revealed four names for its Men’s ODI Player of the Year for 2021 on Thursday.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, two dashing openers, Paul Stirling from Ireland and Janneman Malan from South Africa, and the top-ranked batter in 50-over format Babar Azam from Pakistan are among the list.
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan came back like a king after his two-year ban by ICC (suspended for one year) as he had last played an ODI in July 2019. He made his comeback in style against West Indies and played a series-winning performance.
Having been banned for two years, there were no signs of corrosion of his performances as he scored 113 runs and picked six wickets which led his team to win the series by 3-0 at home.
Besides, he picked up eight wickets and aggregated 145 runs in a three-match series against Zimbabwe in Harare. His series-winning performance brought him another Player of the Series award this year as Bangladesh sealed another series win.
Also Read: Legend of Bangladesh Cricket, Shakib Al Hasan’s 12 years at International Cricket
Scoring 277 runs at an average of 39.57 with his bat and 17 wickets with the ball at an average of 17.52 have made him a candidate for this award.
Babar Azam
The Pakistani batsman has taken the game to another level since he has been playing as a captain for his team. He always contributes to his team.
He played one man-of-the-match innings and amassed 277 runs in Pakistan’s 2-1 series victory against South Africa. He was also the second run-scorer of that series.
Despite losing the series against the Three Lions, he was also shining with his bat. He accumulated 177 runs and was the lone warrior for Pakistan.
Babar Azam scored 405 runs at a stunning average of 67.50 including two tons throughout the year.
Janneman Malan
Janneman Malan had made his debut innings for South Africa in just February 2020 and quickly became a vital key player for his ODI team.
Malan was just fabulous with his bat against Ireland scoring ferocious 261 runs in just 2 matches, including a ton in the second ODI. With a fine hundred on a turning track at Colombo, he also had a good tour in Sri Lanka.
He belted 509 runs in just eight matches which made him the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs in 2021.
Paul Stirling
Ireland, as a team, failed in most of their games but Stirling as a player always shone. He was simply sensational with his bat.
Surely, he had his peak in 2021. He scored 705 runs in 14 matches with three centuries and two half-centuries while averaging a brilliant 79.66.
According to the Sport News BD team, all of the four nominees played hard throughout the year and it’s difficult to choose one player. But if we look at the opponents, the conditions where the nominees played in 2021, Babar Azam might be the one who can get this award.