PCB Awards 2021: Shaheen Afridi bags five nominations
Ace seamer Shaheen Afridi has bagged five nominations in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Awards 2021. PCB unveiled the complete list of nominees for each category on Tuesday. The name of the winners will be announced on Thursday via a virtual digital show. The Pakistan cricket team enjoyed a sensation run across formats in 2021 with Afridi taking the center stage on numerous occasions.
Why does it matter?
Afridi was phenomenal with the ball for Pakistan in the year gone by. He picked 78 wickets across formats in 36 games at 22.20. He was also Pakistan's pick of the bowler as they defeated their bitter rivals India during the Super 12 round of the 2021 T20 World Cup. He chipped in with three wickets in the match while giving away 31 runs.
Multiple nominations for Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam
Afridi has been nominated in five categories - T20I Cricketer of the Year, ODI Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year, Impactful Performance of the Year, and Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year. Mohammad Rizwan and Hasan Ali have been nominated in three categories each. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, and Fawad Alam have picked two nominations each.
Decoding the key numbers of Afridi
Afridi donned the whites for Pakistan nine times and bagged 47 wickets last year. He also claimed eight wickets in six ODIs and scalped 23 wickets in T20Is. Overall, he has taken 86 wickets in Tests at 23.89. He has picked up 53 wickets at 24.62 in 28 ODIs. He has also played 39 T20Is, taking 45 scalps at 24.93.
A look at the nominations
Domestic Cricketer of the Year: Asif Afridi, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Huraira, Sahibzada Farhan, and Tayyab Tahir Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Arshad Iqbal, Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Shahnawaz Dahani Impactful performance of the year: Fawad, Ali, Rizwan, and Afridi T20I Cricketer of the Year: Rauf, Rizwan, Shadab Khan, and Afridi Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year: Azam, Hasan, Rizwan, and Afridi
Nida Dar nominated for Women's Cricketer of the Year
Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Fatima Sana, and Nida Dar have been nominated for the Women's Cricketer of the Year award. Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been named in the ODI Cricketer of the Year award category. The nominees for the Test Cricketer of the Year award are Abid Ali, Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Babar and Rizwan have been nominated for ICC Awards
Babar Azam and Rizwan have also earned nominations in the 2021 International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards. Azam has been nominated for ODI Cricketer of the Year. Rizwan has bagged two nominations -- the T20I Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Cricketer of Year.
Babar and Rizwan's show in 2021
Babar Azam played eight Tests for Pakistan in 2021 and scored 416 runs at 34.66. He also amassed 405 runs in ODIs at a staggering average of 67.50. In T20Is, he smashed 939 runs in 29 games at 37.56. Rizwan played nine Tests and collected 455 runs at 45.50. He scored 134 runs in six ODIs at 22.33 and amassed 1,326 runs in T20Is.
