On Thursday, January 26, Babar Azam won the ICC cricketer of the year award for his stellar performance in 2022. The 28-year-old Pakistani skipper accumulated 2598 runs across all formats and led the Men in Green to Asia Cup and T20 World Cup finals.
Babar Azam also clinched the ODI cricketer of the year award and became the first player after Virat Kohli to win the award consecutively. The Indian stalwart achieved the same in 2017-18.
Several renowned cricketing figures reacted to Babar’s feat, and the latest to jump onto the bandwagon is Australia legend Ricky Ponting, who won the Men’s cricketer of the year in 2006-7.
The former Aussie skipper hailed Babar’s achievement in cricket in recent times but also stated that there is room for improvement. Ponting said that Azam is yet to peak and compared him to the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner.
“Babar is yet to attain his peak form. Most cricketers do it in their early thirties, and he is just 28. Babar is working on his game and constantly improving his style. Look at Steve Smith, David Warner, and Kane Williamson, they peaked at their early thirties, and so will Babar,” said Ponting in conversation with ICC.
“I feel Babar has room to improve. He has been phenomenal in the last 3-4 years. I love watching him play and hope we see that improvement soon.”
बुमराह और जडेजा की वापसी ने बढ़ाई भारत की टेंशन – VIDEO
