Ponting's praise and advice for Babar Cricketer of the Year 2022

Photo: Collected. 

Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the ICC Cricketer of the Year award in recognition of his outstanding performance throughout the year. Babar's bat, who became the Cricketer of the Year in the ODI format as well, has expanded even after shouldering the burden of captaincy. Therefore, the Australian World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting gave some advice while praising the Pakistan captain. He said, Babar is very good with the bat but has more room to learn in terms of captaincy.

Former captain Ricky Ponting, who won Australia's World Cup in 2003 and 2007, said that the end of the match against India in the T20 World Cup was wrapped in excitement. Senior cricketers like Shadab Khan were seen calming down Babar Azam at that time. But that is T20 and it is not easy to captain the World Cup in this format. I am hopeful, with the experience he has accumulated, Babar will improve in captaincy as well as batting.

Speaking to ICC Review, Ponting also said, technically, he is very good. Babar also plays spin very well with pace. He is also great at adapting to different conditions in the world. And it is this trait that takes a player from good to the best. And the best players are also mentally tough. Look at Babar, how often he bats in Tests, how he controls the innings in ODIs. He can also increase the pace of the run as required.

Even though the format has changed, Babar Azam's style has not changed. His bat is moving smoothly. In total, he played 2598 runs in 44 matches in 2022. He scored 8 centuries and 15 fifties at an average of 54. Pakistan won 23 matches under his leadership this year. Played Asia Cup and T20 World Cup finals. In recognition of this, Babar Azam won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, the ICC Cricketer of the Year award. Left behind Ben Stokes, Sikandar Raja and Tim Southee.

Babar has shown incredible skill in the ODI format in recent years. He played 9 matches and scored 679 runs at an enviable 84.87. There were five fifties along with three centuries. And Pakistan won 8 of these 9 matches. As a reward for such performance, Babar Azam was selected as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.

In 2022, Pakistan captain scored 1184 runs by playing 9 Tests. Scored 4 centuries and 7 fifties at an average of around 70. However, his team has won only one of these 9 matches. That recognition went to the English captain Ben Stokes. He played 15 Tests last year and scored 870 runs at an average of 36. 4 fifties with two centuries. He took 26 wickets with the ball. Under his leadership, the English won 9 out of 10 Tests by playing aggressive cricket in white clothes.