ICC declares Babar Azam as ODI Cricketer of the Year

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared Pakistan skipper Babar Azam as the ODI Cricketer of the Year for his spectacular performance in the calendar year 2021.

Apart from Azam, the ICC had nominated Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, South Africa's Janneman Malan, and Ireland's Paul Stirling for the award.

This is the third consecutive honour for Babar as ICC had earlier picked his as the captain for ODI Team of the Year and T20I Team of the Year.

In his acceptance speech, the skipper thanked fans, family, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the ICC, and his team for supporting and boosting his morale.

Babar Azam said he believes his best knock in the year was against England at Edgbaston, which was also his career-best.

"I was actually struggling there, but that knock gave me a lot of confidence," he said.

On the South Africa tour, Babar praised the performances of Fakahar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq — and did not leave himself out.

"My aim is to score runs in every country and at the home of the opponents. It was my goal and that series [against South Africa] was quite helpful for us," he added.