Cricket News: ODI men's team 2022 - three Indians in 50-over team
2022 was not a year where ODI cricket was the focus of most teams since it was the year of the T20 World Cup. However, that doesn't mean there was no ODI cricket played at all
Shreyas Iyer: top scorer among battersAnd because a fair bit of 50-over cricket is played, many players shone in the format and will be crucial to their side's chances of having a crack at the ICC World Cup in 2023.
So without further ado, here's a look at the players who make it to our ODI team of the year.
Travis Head – The Australian opener has been somewhat in and out of the team over recent years, but ODIs seem to be the format she's best suited for, and he proved this in the year 2022 by having a good year for the men in yellow.
He scored 550 runs at an average of 68.7, ranking him right among the best batters in the calendar year. Australia will doubtless hope he carries his form into 2023 and can take them to another World Cup.
Shubman Gill – It speaks volumes of Shubman Gill's talent that, despite mainly being a peripheral player in the Indian team, he shone in ODI cricket whenever he got the opportunity to don the India jersey throughout 2022.
Gill got an extended run in ODIs due to senior players often skipping the format through the year, and he made them count, amassing 638 runs at a staggering average of 70.8. India should be looking to accommodate him in their scheme of things, come what may, in 2023.
Babar Azam – The Pakistan captain's T20I form has been under scrutiny, and understandably so, but the fact remains that he has been a prolific batsman in the 50-over format. And that is why we are picking him as the team captain.
Babar scored three hundred and five fifties in nine innings and scored 679 runs at an average of 84.8. Even as questions swirl over his captaincy, there is little doubt over his ability in the 50-over format and how key he remains to Pakistan's batting.
Shreyas Iyer – Another player whose T20 form has been under scrutiny due to his weakness against short-pitched bowling. Shreyas Iyer has made himself undroppable for India in both ODI and Test cricket.
He, too, benefitted from an extended ODI run due to senior players skipping the format, and he made the most of his chances – he is the top scorer among batters on this list, having scored 724 runs at an average of 55.6.
Tom Latham – The New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman not only forms a vital part of the lower order of this team but will also don the ''keeping gloves due to his proficiency behind the stumps over the year.
He scored a total of 558 runs this year at an average of 55.8 and also effected 16 dismissals – 13 of which were catches and three stumpings. He will be critical to New Zealand's hopes of winning a maiden ICC World Cup come 2023.
Sikandar Raza – The Pakistan-born batsman added to his repertoire by becoming Zimbabwe's answer to Sunil Narine with the ball, right down to the action, proving it'sit's never too late to learn new tricks. But it is with the bat that he remained vital for the team.
He comes in at number 6 here, but he often anchored Zimbabwe's hopes through the year, which is reflected in his stats – he scored 645 runs at an average of 49.6 and will want to carry this form into the following calendar year.
Mehidy Hasan – Bangladesh have persisted with Mehidy for a while despite him sometimes struggling, but the fruits of that persistence began to bear fruit for the Tigers this year. Mehidy has now become a legitimate all-around option for the team across formats.
But it is ODIs where he shone the most as he scored 330 runs at an average of 66 and also took a good 24 wickets at an average of 28.2, including leading his side to a famous ODI series win over India at home.
Alzarri Joseph – The first proper bowler on this list, Joseph is still relatively young but has been showing more signs of maturing and becoming the kind of player that the West Indies can depend on across formats if need be.
An express pacer capable of regularly hitting speeds over 150 km/h, he troubled batters with his pace and picked up 27 wickets at an average of 25.7 throughout the year.
Mohammed Siraj – The third and final Indian on the list, Siraj, too, rebuilt his reputation in the ODI format. After a poor IPL saw him dropped from the T20 scheme of things, he made the most of his chances in 50-over cricket.
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He was a reliable bowler across all phases of the game and ended the year with 24 wickets in his kitty at a respectable average of 23.5. Figures like that mean he is a forerunner for a spot in the ODI squad in the coming year too.
Adam Zampa – The only full-time spinner on this list, and with good reason, too – the baby-faced assassin of the Australian cricket team was at his lethal best as a middle-overs operator for the team throughout the calendar year.
He is the highest wicket-taker on this list as he ends the year with 30 scalps and his average is also mind-boggling. He took his wickets at an average of 17.5, meaning he wasn'twasn't leaking too many runs, either.
Trent Boult – The New Zealand pacer might have declined a central contract to make more money in the future, but when he was a regular part of the team, he remained arguably their best pace bowler across formats.
Unsurprisingly, this means he shone in ODIs too. He may have only taken 18 wickets, which is the lowest on this list, but he did so at an average of 12.3, which is staggering, to say the least, but also reflective of Boult'sBoult's brilliance.