"Our performances in white-ball cricket upstaged our achievements in red-ball cricket" - Pakistan skipper Babar Azam reflects on 2022 

Pakistan captain Babar Azam opened up on his side's performances in 2022 across formats and provided his verdict on the same. The right-handed batter felt the Men in Green's performances in limited-overs cricket were way better than their outings in red-ball cricket.

2022 was an incredibly busy year for the men's national team as they featured in nine Tests, nine ODIs, and 26 T20Is, making it 44 international fixtures. The Men in Green also reached the finals of the ACC Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Speaking on the PCB's year-end podcast, Babar reflected that although Pakistan didn't perform as they liked in red-ball cricket, he believes the losses at home served as a learning curve.

The 28-year-old stated that beating India in the Asia Cup and the win over Sri Lanka in the first Test were the standout moments of the year and said:

"Our performances in white-ball cricket upstaged our achievements in red-ball cricket. We reached the finals in the UAE and Australia, and though we didn’t perform the way we had expected in red-ball cricket, three sides ranked above Pakistan played in Pakistan that provided us a huge learning opportunity and also entertained our fans.

"In T20 cricket, my favorite match was the win against India in the repeat fixture of the Asia Cup as it was a crucial game for us in terms of a place in the final. In Test cricket, victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle was outstanding as we chased down 342 for the loss of six wickets on a difficult track. Abdullah Shafique was magnificent in the second innings when he scored 160 not out."

Pakistan ended 2022 with a solitary Test victory and lost four Tests at home on the bounce to Australia and England, including a 3-0 defeat to the latter. Their final Test of the year resulted in a draw against New Zealand in Karachi.

Babar Azam ends 2022 as the highest run-getter in Test cricket

Babar Azam. (Image Credits: Getty)

The Pakistan skipper has ended 2022 as the highest run-scorer in Tests, accumulating 1184 runs in nine matches at 69.64 with four tons and seven fifties. Babar's best of 196 came against Australia in Karachi when the hosts were in pursuit of 506 and came from behind to draw the game.

Nevertheless, with four consecutive losses at home, the Lahore-born batter will hope to rectify that run of form in 2023. Pakistan's second Test against New Zealand begins on January 2 in Karachi.