Babar Azam, Shakib Al Hasan among nominees for 2021 ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year awards

Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan have been named among the nominees for the 2021 ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year awards.

The ICC Awards 2021 will recognize the outstanding achievements and feats in cricket over the past year. Earlier, the international cricketing body also announced the nominees for the Test Player of the Year and the T20I Player of the Year awards.

Pakistan skipper Azam hammered 405 runs in six ODIs at an average of 67.50 with two centuries in 2021. He scored 228 runs during the team’s 2-1 series win over South Africa and was the Player of the Match in both of Pakistan's wins. Azam smashed a century in the first ODI and an 82-ball 94 in the final game.

He scored a brilliant 158 against England in the third ODI of the three-match series in Birmingham. Batting first, Pakistan posted 331. However, the visitors lost the game as England chased the total down with two overs to spare.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib scored 277 runs in nine matches at an average of 39.57 with two half-centuries to his name. He also picked up 17 wickets with his left-arm spin at an average of 17.52. Shakib made a return to international cricket following a ban over not reporting suspicious action.

It was a memorable comeback as Shakib was named Player of the Series against West Indies in January 2021. The veteran cricketer scored 113 runs and picked up six wickets as Bangladesh swept the Windies 3-0.

Shakib was the Player of the Series against Zimbabwe as well as Bangladesh completed another clean sweep. He contributed 145 runs and picked up eight wickets in the three-match series against the African nation.

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Janneman Malan, Paul Stirling also nominated for ODI Men’s Player of the Year awards

South African opener Janneman Malan has been rewarded for a stupendous 2021 in ODIs with a nomination for the Player of the Year honor. Malan hammered 509 runs in eight matches at an amazing average of 84.83 with two centuries and two half-centuries.

He won the Player of the Series award in the three-match series against Ireland. His scored 84 in the second ODI even as the Proteas were stunned by Ireland. However, Malan smashed 177 in the third ODI to guide his team to victory.

The South African batter was the team’s highest run-getter in the ODI series against Sri Lankan as well. He scored 121 off 135 balls on a difficult batting track in Colombo. With 509 ODI runs in 2021, Malan is the second-highest run-scorer of the year.

Veteran Ireland batter Paul Stirling also finds a place among the nominees for ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year. Stirling amassed 705 runs, including three hundreds and two half-centuries, in 14 matches at an average of 79.66. He scored a superb ton against the UAE to kick off the year, though it came in a losing cause.

Stirling was Ireland's highest run-getter with 285 runs in three ODIs even though they went down 3-0 to Afghanistan. He scored two centuries in three games, but found no support from the other batters.