Pakistan’s Babar Azam named captain of ICC’s ODI Team of 2021, no place for any Indian

Just like the ICC T20I Team of 2021, no Indian finds a place in the ODI Team of 2021. Pakistan’s Babar Azam has been named as the leader of ICC ODI Team of 2021 and Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman is also in the XI. In the side, two Proteas players have been named along with two players from Sri Lanka.

Three players from Bangladesh are there in the eleven as well. Despite having played only 6 matches in 2021, Babar still managed to score 405 runs at an average of 67.50 with two centuries. The talismanic Pakistan skipper made vital contributions in tough away tours of South Africa and England, ending up with Player of the Match awards in both their victories in the former.

He also scored a memorable ton in Birmingham in conditions that assisted the seamers. Zaman continued his stellar run in Pakistan’s ODI outfit in the 2021. Playing 6 matches, he aggregated 365 runs at an average of 60.83 with two centuries.

One of the centuries came against South Africa, in a knock which will be remembered for ages. He scored 193, almost taking Pakistan home in their chase of 342 in Johannesburg.

A vital contributor with both the bat and the ball – Wanindu Hasaranga continued to establish himself as the superstar of the Sri Lankan team in the shorter formats of the game in 2021. He scored 356 runs at an average of 27.38 with three half-centuries in 14 matches.  Hasaranga was also a constant menace with the ball, picking up 12 wickets at a miserly economy of 4.56.

ICC ODI Team of 2021: Paul Stirling (Ireland), Janneman Malan (South Africa), Babar Azam (Pakistan), Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan), Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Mustazifur Rahman (Bangladesh), Simi Singh (Ireland) and Dushmantha Chameera (Sri Lanka).

(with ANI inputs)