Tag: ICC Awards

  • Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have a message for their fans after receiving ODI Cricketer of the Year, T20I Cricketer of the Year and ICC Player of the Year awards respectively. All three cricketers took to their social media to express their gratitude for achieving the feat.

    Read More – Babar Azam named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

    Taking to Twitter, Babar expressed his gratitude for being named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021.

    “I am thankful to Almighty, my family, friends, and fans who always push me to do better with all their love and trust,” he said in a tweet.

    This is the third mention of Babar Azam in the ICC Awards 2021. He was earlier announced as the captain of the T20 and ODI teams of the year by the ICC.

    Similarly Rizwan, after being declared the T20I Cricketer of the Year, took to Twitter to thank the Almighty.

    “Alhumdulillah. Bus Allah se hota hai. Allah k ghair se nahi hota,” he wrote.

    He further added: “I am grateful to everyone for their support and love. In sha Allah, the journey has just started. This award is dedicated to Pakistan and the beautiful people of Pakistan.”

    The player aggregated a staggering 1,326 runs in only 29 matches at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89 last year.

    Read More – ‘Sirf Allah se hota hai’: Mohammad Rizwan after scoring 2,000 record T20 runs in a year

    According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Rizwan was “as solid as ever behind the stumps”, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semi-final during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

    Pakistan’s “tall boy” Afridi, as noted by ICC, also joined Babar and Rizwan in expressing his joy and gratitude by posting a tweet.

    “Almighty has been very kind to me. I’m extremely grateful for all the love sent my way,” he wrote.

    Afridi took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20 with the best bowling figures of 6/51.

    The 21-year-old speedster was on fire throughout 2021, knocking some of the best batters over across all three formats of the game.

    He especially had a year to remember in Tests and T20Is, reaching his peak during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in UAE where he impressed one and all with his sheer speed and skills. His exceptional spell against India in the ICC T20 World Cup was the cherry on the top for the Pakistan cricket fans. He sent Indian openers KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli to the pavillion in the clash with India. He conceded only 31 runs in his four overs.

  • Twitter reacts after Shaheen ‘Test Player of the Year’ snub

    Twitter reacts after Shaheen ‘Test Player of the Year’ snub

    Pakistani Twitter has strongly reacted after Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has not been named among the nominees for ICC ‘Test Player of the Year’.

    India’s spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, England skipper Joe Root, New Zealand’s all-rounder Kylie Jamieson and Sri Lanka’s Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne have been nominated for the award on Tuesday.

    Shaheen was the second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, during 2021, with 47 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 17.06.

    Interestingly, the ICC decided to include New Zealand’s pacer Kyle Jamieson, who had bagged fewer wickets than Shaheen, in the list. The right-armer bagged 27 wickets in five matches.

    Explaining their decision, the ICC said, in a statement, that “in New Zealand’s finest hour, as they celebrated their ICC World Test Championship victory, Jamieson was the player who made the difference”.

    “Away from the seam-friendly pitches of New Zealand and England, Jamieson also impressed on the flat decks in India, getting the ball to shape beautifully,” the statement added.

    However, Twitter users were not happy with ICC’s decision to pick Jamieson over Shaheen.

    https://twitter.com/EhtishamEjaz051/status/1476052082163601408?s=20

    Some of the netizens were even questioning Hassan Ali’s exclusion from the nominees as the star Pakistani speedster has grabbed 41 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 16.07 which include five, 5 wicket-hauls and one 10 wicket-hauls.

  • ‘You named an IPL team not world XI’: Shoaib Akhtar slams ICC

    ‘You named an IPL team not world XI’: Shoaib Akhtar slams ICC

    Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for not including a single Pakistan player in their T20I team of the decade, announced on Sunday.

    In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Akhtar criticised the parent body of cricket, terming their team of the decade an IPL XI instead of being a world cricket team.

    “They did not pick a single player from Pakistan in the team. We don’t need your (ICC) T20I Team of the Decade because you announced the IPL team, not a world cricket team,” Akhtar said in the video.

    The former speedster also cited the current T20I rankings indicating that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam should have been included in the T20I team of the decade.

    “I think ICC forgot that Pakistan is also a member of ICC and they also play T20I cricket. They did not pick Babar Azam, who is currently the number one batsman in the ICC T20I rankings.”

    Akhtar further openly criticised the working of ICC and claimed that the organisation is ruining the game for money.

    “ICC only thinks about money, sponsorships and TV rights. They introduced two new balls and three powerplays (in the ODI cricket). Where is Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, big five of West Indies, Wasim (Akram) and Waqar (Younis)? Where are the world’s fastest bowlers and leg-spinners? They went away because ICC commercialised and materialised cricket so much and allowed ten leagues to earn more revenue,” Akhtar said.

    “They just want two World Cups in three years and leagues. ….There is a big difference between today’s cricket and in 70’s cricket. If there is no Sachin vs Shoaib then what’s the point of watching cricket? There is no big player than Babar Azam in T20I. He is a top-scorer for Pakistan and his averages show what he has done for the country, even in comparison with Virat Kohli. It is so embarrassing and I’m sure after this video they will think that they have to announce the World Team of the Decade, not the IPL team,” Sohaib concluded.

    Earlier in the day, ICC included Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Jasprit Bumrah in its T20I Team of the Decade. Dhoni has also been named as the skipper of the ICC’s T20I Team of the Decade.

    In the team, four players are from India, two are from Australia, two from West Indies, one from Sri Lanka, South Africa, andAfghanistan.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan cricket fans and analysts are enraged and questioning ICC for not including any Pakistani cricketer in the list. Here are some reactions:

  • Only two Pakistanis nominated for ICC Awards of the Decade

    Only two Pakistanis nominated for ICC Awards of the Decade

    The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Thursday, announced the nominations for the Awards of the Decade in the men’s and women’s categories. Two Pakistani male cricketers have been nominated for the awards.

    According to details, former captain of the Pakistan cricket team and current head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and leg-spinner Yasir Shah are the only two Pakistanis nominated for the awards.

    60 nominations have been made and the winners for each category will be selected through votes cast by fans around the world. The final announcements regarding the winners of their respective categories will be made on December 18.

    Misbah was nominated for the ICC’s Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade whereas Shah was nominated for the prestigious category of Men’s Test Player of the Decade.

    The former captain of the Pakistan side had won the ICC’s Spirit of Cricket Award for the year 2016 after leading his side to the number-one spot in the ICC’s Test rankings for the very first time since its inception.

    Meanwhile, five Indian cricketers have been nominated in different categories from which four are men and one woman cricketer. Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin and Mithali Raj are nominated in different categories of men and women. Interesting thing is that Kohli is the only player to be nominated in all five men’s categories in the ICC Player of the Decade Award.

    Fans can vote for their favorite player and they can also win prizes by registering on the website. Voting opened on November 25 and will be closed on December 16.

    Nominations list for each category can be read on the official website of ICC.