Babar Azam wins ICC Player of the Month Award for April 2021
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam claimed the ICC Player of the Month award for April 2021, thanks to his brilliant performances with the willow.
The right-handed batsman amassed 228 runs in three innings of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League series against South Africa. His consistency helped him achieve the top spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters.
Also in the T20I series versus the Proteas, Azam scored 210 runs in four innings, with his highest score being 122. After the South African tour, Babar played three T20I games against Zimbabwe, where he aggregated 95 runs at an average of 31.67.
Representing the ICC Academy, Ramiz Raja heaped praise on Babar Azam's recent performances and said:
“The world bats in two ways in white ball cricket. One way is to destroy attacks with muscle and force and then there is the Babar Azam way, like conducting a batting symphony with punch, panache and flair, and he deserves to win this award.”
While Babar Azam won the ICC Player of the Month in the men's category, Australia's Alyssa Healy bagged this award in the women's category. Healy scored 155 runs in three ODIs last month and was the leading run-getter in her team's series win against New Zealand.
Pakistan won four series in the last two months under Babar Azam's leadership
The Pakistani team won all four series on the African tour under Babar Azam's leadership. First, they beat the South African side in ODIs and T20Is. Next, they recorded series wins over Zimbabwe in the Test and T20I format.
Pakistan will be keen to continue their winning form when they visit the United Kingdom in July.
But at the moment, the Pakistani players are gearing up for the second phase of PSL 2021 which is likely to be played in the United Arab Emirates.