LAHORE, JAN 24: Pakistani stars Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have become part of the spearheading International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s One Day International (ODI) Team of the Year for 2024.
The ICC announced the name of the Pakistani players along with other team players.
Moreover, the council mentioned that the team not only offers quality, as expected, but also a great balance of star power, consistency and versatility.
With nine matches, 515 runs, 113 no Highest Score, 64.37 average, 105.53 strike rate, three centuries and one half-century, Saim capped off by selection at the top of the order in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year.
The ICC describes Saim’s time as a breakout season for the Pakistan southpaw.
Scoring a combined 125 runs from three One-Day Internationals in Australia, before scoring a maiden ODI ton in Zimbabwe shortly after, Saim only debuted in November but arrived immediately.
According to ICC, three of his last five innings have produced centuries, including two in South Africa in December, a three-match series that saw him average 78.3.
In addition to Saim, Shaheen, along with 6 matches, 15 wickets, 17.6 bowling average and 4/47 best bowling, made a big impact despite playing only six ODIs in the calendar year.
He continued to prove himself as one of the most consistent performers at the international level, possessing one of world cricket’s best bowling strike rates, as per ICC.
Meanwhile, Haris with eight matches, 13 wickets, 22.4 bowling average and 5/29 best bowling finished 2024 firing on all cylinders, taking 10 wickets across Pakistan’s three-ODI series in Australia, which included his five-for in Adelaide – a contest the touring team ended up winning comfortably.
Other team players include Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka), Kusal Mendis (WK) (Sri Lanka), Charith Asalanka (C) (Sri Lanka), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) and AM Ghazanfar (Afghanistan).
