ICC Men's ODI Team 2021: No Indian in Babar-led side
Much like ICC's Men's T20I Team of the Year, Indian players have failed to make the cut for the ODI Team of 2021 as well. Babar Azam, who enjoyed a stellar run in 2021, has been named as the skipper. Fakhar Zaman is another representation from Pakistan in ICC's ODI XI. The team also has two players from Sri Lanka and three from Bangladesh.
Why does it matter?
Two South African players have also been named in the ICC's Team of the Year in Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen. Ireland's Paul Stirling and Simi Singh are also part of the team. However, ICC's ODI XI has no representation from the reigning fifty overs world champions England. Australian and New Zealand players have also failed to make the cut.
ICC ODI Team for 2021
ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year
ODI Team of 2021: Paul Stirling (Ireland), Janneman Malan (South Africa), Babar Azam (Pakistan), Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan), Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Mustazifur Rahman (Bangladesh), Simi Singh (Ireland) and Dushmantha Chameera (Sri Lanka)
A look at the top four batters in the side
Stirling ended 2021 as the leading run-getter in ODI cricket. He scored 705 runs in 14 games at 79.66. Malan racked up 509 runs in eight games at 84.83 with two hundreds and two fifties. Babar amassed 405 runs at an impressive average of 67.50 in six games with the help of two hundreds. Meanwhile, Fakhar smashed 365 runs in six matches at 60.83.
Key performance of the middle-order players
Van der Dussen amassed 342 runs in eight games for South Africa at 57.00. He also struck a century in Centurion against Pakistan. Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib impressed largely, scoring 277 runs at 39.57 in nine games. He also chipped in with 17 wickets. Mushfiqur Rahim has been picked as the wicket-keeper batter. He aggregated 407 runs at 58.14, hitting a ton and two fifties.
A look at the lower-order of the side
Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga scored 356 runs (50s: 3) at 27.38 in 14 games, besides taking 12 wickets. Mustafizur Rahman bagged 18 wickets in 10 games in the year gone by at 21.55. Ireland's Simi Singh scalped 19 wickets in 13 games at 20.15, besides scoring 280 runs. Lastly, Dusmantha Chameera took 20 wickets in 14 games at 29.30.
Top performers for India in 2021
The Indian cricket team played just six ODIs in 2021 and won four of them while losing two. Senior Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan finished 2021 as the leading run-getter. He scored 297 runs in six games at 59.40 with the help of three fifties. With nine wickets under his kitty from five games, Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished as the leading wicket-taker.
