Fawad Alam, Babar Azam: Pakistani players also in ODI and Test teams after T20, consumers angry over absence of Indian players
The year 2021 has been the best year for Pakistan cricket team, be it T20, ODI or Test format ICC's best teams of the year do not seem to be complete without Pakistani players.
Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam will be the captain of the ICC's T20 team of the year after the captaincy of the ODI team, while three Pakistani players have been nominated for the ICC Test team of the year.
The ICC on Thursday announced the ODI Cricket Team of the Year, which does not include any Australian or English players and no Indian player has been named in the squad. Pakistani opener Fakhr Zaman has also managed to make a place in this ODI team.
On the other hand, 20-year-old Pakistani bowler Fatima Sana has also been included in the best team of the year for women. Fatima Sana took 20 wickets at an average of 24 in 2021, including one five four.
The ICC has also announced the best Test team, which includes three Pakistani players Fawad Alam, Hassan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Fawad Alam, who made his place in the Test team 11 years later in 2020, scored 571 runs at an average of 57 in 2021, including three centuries. On the other hand, Pakistan's two fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Hassan Ali have also shown excellent bowling.
In 2021 Test matches, Shaheen Afridi has taken 47 wickets at an average of 17 while Hassan Ali has taken 41 wickets at an average of 16.
Babar Azam is also the captain of the ODI and T20 teams
Eleven players of this symbolic ODI team have been selected on the basis of their performance last year. The leadership of this team has been handed over to Babar Azam of Pakistan. Babar Azam scored 405 runs at an average of 67 in six ODIs in 2021, including two centuries.
Opener Fakhr Zaman scored 365 runs at an average of 60 in those six matches, including two centuries, and his best score was 193 against South Africa.Power-hitters, terrific all-rounders, fiery pacers 🔥
— ICC (@ICC) January 20, 2022
The 2021 ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year has all the bases covered 🤩 pic.twitter.com/R2SCJl04kQ
This team does not include any players from India, Australia and England. One of the reasons for this is that due to the T20 World Cup and code this year, India and England did not include players who would normally play in a series, while Australia played only three ODIs in 2021.
However, social media users are showing mixed reactions to the one-day team. While Indian consumers are angry that none of their team members are included in this team, some consumers are also calling this team formed by ICC weak.
Earlier, Babar Azam was named the captain of the best T20 team of the year released yesterday. Babar Azam had scored a total of 939 runs in 29 T20 Internationals last year with the help of one century and nine half-centuries.
Pakistan's Muhammad Rizwan has been included in the ICC squad as a wicket-keeper-opener.
The year 2021 proved to be the most memorable year for Mohammad Rizwan, in which he represented Pakistan in 29 International Twenty20 matches and scored 1326 runs with the help of one century and 12 half-centuries, which was made by any batsman last year. Gone were the most runs.
Mohammad Rizwan's extraordinary performance can also be gauged from the fact that his total runs scored in all the T20 matches last year was 2036.Here's your 2021 ICC Men's Test Team of the Year 📝
— ICC (@ICC) January 20, 2022
Are your favourite players a part of the XI? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/GrfiaNDkpx
Without Pakistan's young fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, the ICC T20 team could not have been completed. Shaheen took 23 wickets in 21 matches last year. The most beautiful spectacle of his dangerous bowling was the match against India in the T20 World Cup, in which he led Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the pavilion.
India A will also beat ODI team
One user wrote that this team can be defeated by any school team from Chennai, while another user wrote that India A will also defeat this team.
In the same way, most of the users are posting their teams in the meantime. "This is probably the weakest team in the history of ODIs," wrote one user, questioning the name of Irish cricketer Sami Singh.
One user, Ibrahim Hanif, wrote: "The ICC's Team of the Year is actually based on statistics and includes the best performers this year."
"(Sri Lankan bowler) Chamira has done well in 2021 but that doesn't mean he is a better bowler than Bamra or Shaheen but we still have to appreciate him," he wrote.
Another user also wrote that Babar Azam is performing well and the PCB should give him a long tenure as captain.
"Pakistan cricket has performed well in the last one to two years, Pakistan is now back on the world cricket map and has a strong team in every format," wrote user Fahad. It's the beginning of a golden generation, just like the 90's. "