Pakistan's Babar Azam leads NewsBytes men's ODI XI of 2022
One-Day Internationals were outweighed by T20I and Test cricket in 2022. The ICC T20 World Cup took center stage, while the World Test Championship kept the teams engaged. However, several players managed to seize the limited opportunities in the 50-over format. Pakistan's Babar Azam, who guided Pakistan to eight wins in nine ODIs, has been picked to lead the NewsBytes ODI XI of 2022.
Travis Head and Shubman Gill are the two openers
Australia's Travis Head reinvented himself as an opener in 2022. He cemented his spot in ODIs after Aaron Finch retired from the format. Head smashed 550 runs in just nine ODIs at 68.75 in 2022. The tally includes two tons and three fifties. India's Shubman Gill accompanies him in the XI, having averaged a staggering 70.88 this year. He struck at 102.57.
Captain Babar comes in at number three
Babar led Pakistan by example in the limited ODIs where his blade also did the talking. He smashed 679 runs at an incredible average of 84.87 and a strike rate of 90.77. He registered eight 50+ scores in these matches, including three centuries and five half-centuries. Babar was the only Pakistani batter to have smashed over 600 ODI runs this year.
Shreyas Iyer, Tom Latham serve the middle order
Shreyas Iyer emerged as the highest run-scorer in ODI cricket in 2022 (Full Member nations). He whacked 724 runs from 17 ODIs at an astonishing average of 55.69. The right-handed batter struck one century and six fifties. Similarly, Tom Latham scored the most ODI runs for NZ this year (558 at 55.80). He serves the wicket-keeping section of NewsBytes' ODI XI.
Sikandar Raza, Mehidy Hasan feature as all-rounders
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza lit up white-ball cricket in 2022. He finished as Zimbabwe's highest run-scorer in the format, having racked up 645 runs at 49.61 (three centuries, two fifties). Raza also took eight wickets with the best haul of 3/56. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz averaged 66.00 with the bat this year. The off-spinner took a total of 24 wickets at 28.20.
Boult, Siraj, Joseph, and Zampa are the four specialist bowlers
New Zealand's Trent Boult spearheads the pace attack. Boult had the joint-most ODI wickets for NZ this year with Matt Henry (18 wickets in six ODIs at 12.38). Meanwhile, pacer Mohammed Siraj topped the wickets column for India (24 at 23.50). WI's Alzarri Joseph shone with 27 wickets at 25.70. Adam Zampa finished as the joint-highest ODI wicket-taker this year with Akeal Hosein (30).
NewsBytes men's ODI XI of 2022
NewsBytes men's ODI XI of 2022: Travis Head, Shubman Gill, Babar Azam (captain), Shreyas Iyer, Tom Latham (wicket-keeper), Sikandar Raza, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Alzarri Joseph, Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Mohammed Siraj.
