Babar Azam, Pakistan’s all-format captain, had an incredible year with the bat in 2021. Babar was the second-highest run-getter in the shortest format this year, following opening partner Mohammad Rizwan, with 938 runs in 29 T20Is.
He was also the leading run scorer in the T20 World Cup, with 303 runs in just six innings, including four half-centuries.
However, it appears that Babar would need to do a lot more to earn the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) favor, as the governing body overlooked the No. 1 T20I batsman in its Men’s T20I Player of the Year nominees.
While Hasaranga and Rizwan are deserving of their nominations, Babar could have been nominated instead of Mitch Mash or Jos Buttler.
The ICC’s decision to remove Babar from nominations for the award earlier in the day came as a shock to most cricket fans. Jose Buttler of England, Mitch Marsh of Australia, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka, and Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan were among those named.
