International Cricket Council announced the ICC Player of the Month for March 2022 on Monday, 11 April. The captain of the Pakistan cricket team Babar Azam has emerged as the top cricketer after his performance in the Australia tour to Pakistan that ended on 5 April. Other nominees alongside Azam were Australian captain Pat Cummins and West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite.
Babar Azam Wins ICC Player of the Month for Second Time
The Pakistani skipper has become the first cricketer ever to become a two-time ICC Player of the Month. Previously, Azam received the award in April 2021 for his consistency across all formats in the series against South Africa.
Babar’s outstanding performance in that series remained memorable for fans till now. His 94 runs in 82 balls in the 3rd ODI against South Africa reached a career-best of 865 points. Then in the 3rd T20I, he made 122 runs off 59 balls and helped Pakistan chase 203 with 9 wickets left.
Australia’s Tour of Pakistan
Even though Pakistan lost most of the matches in the Australia series, Babar Azam’s performance was nothing short of a spectacle. His exceptional performance against Australia was why the academy and fans voted Azam as the ICC Player of the Month. During the Test series, the captain scored a century and 2 fifties against Australia, a team that was a nightmare for Pakistan once. In the 2nd Test, Babar scored 196 runs in a single inning and became a player of the match.
Moreover, Babar scored 57 in the 1st ODI, 114 in the 2nd, and 105 (not out) in the 3rd ODI. His consistency led him to become a player in the series even though Australia won most matches. The Pakistani skipper was crowned the Best ODI Cricketer of the Year in ICC Awards 2021, where other Pakistani players also won big.
Women’s Player of The Month
The council also announced the ICC Player of the Month award for the women’s division. Australia’s vice-captain Rachel Haynes continues to amass accolades with her formidable skills on the pitch. She helped Australia win its 7th ICC Women’s World Cup trophy after scoring 429 runs in 8 matches at an average of 61.28.
