ISLAMABAD: Three top Pakistan cricketers have made it to the ICC ODI Team of the year with none there to represent the country in the ICC Test Team of the Year.
The ICC announced both sets of teams on Friday. Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have made it to the ODI Team of the Year, following their outstanding performance that kept the Pakistan team in the top cadre.
Pakistan youngster Saim Ayub follows his nomination for the ICC Emerging Men’s Player of the Year with an opening spot in the ODI XI. The 22-year old amassed 515 runs in his nine outings, and notably striking centuries against Zimbabwe, and two against South Africa.
For Pakistan, pace comes in the form of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, who took 15 and 13 wickets respectively during the year and starred as Pakistan recorded landmark wins against Australia and South Africa at the latter end of the year.
Asia dominates the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz joins him as an opener, with three centuries of his own among 531 runs during the year.
Charith Asalanka was nominated captain and he forms the middle-order alongside teammates Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. The trio ended the year as the top three highest ODI run-scorers for the year with Kusal topping the charts with 742 runs in a consistent year of competition.
Men’s ODI Team of the Year: 1. Saim Ayub (Pak), 2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afg), 3. Pathum Nissanka (SL), 4. Kusal Mendis (SL) (wk), 5. Charith Asalanka (SL) (c), 6. Sherfane Rutherford (WI), 7. Azmatullah Omarzai (Afg), 8. Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), 9. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pak), 10. Haris Rauf (Pak), 11. AM Ghazanfar (Afg).
Besides ODI team of the year (men and women), the ICC also named Men’s Test Team of the Year. Announcements in the ICC Awards 2024 will continue on Saturday, with Men’s and Women’s T20I Teams revealed alongside the outstanding individual Men’s and Women’s T20I Cricketers of the Year.
Winners in 12 individual categories will be revealed each day until Tuesday, culminating in the most coveted and iconic prizes -- the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Winners in individual categories are determined by both the ICC Voting Academy and global fans, who registered over 1.5million votes. No Pakistan cricketer however made it to the ICC Test Team of the year 2024.
ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year: 1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (Ind), 2. Ben Duckett (Eng), 3. Kane Williamson (NZ), 4. Joe Root (Eng), 5. Harry Brook (Eng), 6. Kamindu Mendis (SL), 7. Jamie Smith (Eng) (wk), 8. Ravindra Jadeja (Ind), 9. Pat Cummins (Aus) (c), 10. Matt Henry (NZ), 11. Jasprit Bumrah (Ind).
Australia’s Pat Cummins captains the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year for the second successive year, earning his place thanks to another memorable stint in which he guided his side to the ICC World Test Championship Final, overseeing victories against Pakistan, New Zealand and India, and picking up 37 wickets in his nine Tests at an average of 24.02.
ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year: 1. Smriti Mandhana (Ind), 2. Laura Wolvaardt (SA) (c), 3. Chamari Athapaththu (SL), 4. Hayley Matthews (WI), 5. Marizanne Kapp (SA), 6. Ash Gardner (Aus), 7. Annabel Sutherland (Aus), 8. Amy Jones (Eng) (wk), 9. Deepti Sharma (Ind), 10. Sophie Ecclestone (Eng), 11. Kate Cross (Eng).
ICC Voting Academy: Zaahier Adams, Shoaib Ahmed, Andrew Alderson, Athar Ali Khan, Elizabeth Ammon, Russell Arnold, Dan Beswick, Ian Bishop, Rex Clementine, Rory Dollard, Mel Farrell, Daren Ganga, Natalie Germanos, S Gomesh, Vikrant Gupta, Shahid Hashmi, Malhar Hathi, Nasser Hussain, Mohammad Isam, Isobel Joyce, Faisal Kamal, Stacy Ann King, Faizan Lakhani, Andrew Leonard, Katey Martin, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Firdose Moonda, Masud Parvez, Emal Pasarly, Julia Price, Paul Radley, Mehluli Sibanda, Ger Siggins, Bharat Sundaresan, Estelle Vasudevan.