Babar Azam won Pakistan’s ODI Player of the Year award at the Pakistan Cricket Board awards in Lahore on Thursday (September 14).
The star studded ceremony was attended by the players of Pakistan cricket team as well as members of the World XI side which is currently in Lahore for the ongoing T20I series. Leg-spinner Yasir Shah was awarded as the Test Player of the Year award, while all-rounder Imad Wasim was adjudged Pakistan’s T20I Player of the Year.
Azam, who had scored a hat-trick of hundreds against West Indies in the UAE last year, became the joint fastest to 1000 ODI runs, equalling Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Quinton De Kock earlier this year. He has had a very productive outing with the bat in the 50-over cricket in the last one year.
Azam was also the highest run-scorer in the three-match series against Windies last year, slamming a staggering 360 and continued his good show in Australia too. He was the second highest run-scorer in Australia, scoring 282 runs in five matches including one century and one half-century. The right-handed batsman was also instrumental in Pakistan’s historic Champions Trophy victory in June.
Yasir Shah also reaped the rewards for his sensational show in the longest format of the year. The leg-spinner had played a pivotal role in helping Pakistan draw the four-match series in England 2-2 and had claimed the top spot in the bowlers’ ranking for a while.
Humbled to receive @TheRealPCB #TestPlayerOfTheYear award. I dedicate this award to my people, my fans, & the #WorldXI team touring Pakistan
— Yasir Shah (@Shah64Y) September 14, 2017
Imad Wasim, who is currently the top-ranked T20I bowler, scooped the top award for the shortest format of the game. The left-arm spinner made his debut in 2015 and has now become an indispensable part of Pakistan’s limited-overs team.
Best t20 player of the year for pakistan … All because of ur love and support??#ThankYou #PCBAwards pic.twitter.com/bJBCvXeE7f
— Imad Wasim (@simadwasim) September 14, 2017
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Champions Trophy heroes Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan were adjudged as the emerging players of the year. With 14 wickets to his name, Hasan Ali was the highest wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy, while Shadab Khan, who earned consecutive Man of the Match awards in his first T20 Internationals after finishing the games with astonishing figures of 3-7 and 4-14 against Windies earlier this year, took four wickets in the tournament.