(CMC) – West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Shai Hope is among an impressive four-player shortlist for the ICC Men’s One-day International Player-of-the-Year 2022 award.
The others are Pakistan captain Babar Azam, Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa, and Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza.
Hope made his ODI debut in six years ago and since 2017, he has finished every year as the highest run-scorer in ODIs for the Windies.
This year was no different, and the 29-year-old was once again one of the few shining stars for West Indies in a difficult year in which they won only five of the 21 ODIs they played.
Hope did not get off to the greatest of starts this year, but he started to grind out runs in typical fashion in the later stages of the year, and finished with 709 runs at an average of 35.45 that included three hundreds and two half-centuries.
Shai Hope was often the lone warrior for the Windies in ODIs this year, and four of his five 50-plus scores this year came in losses.
The one that did not – his 119 not out off 130 balls against the Netherlands – fetched him the Player-of-the-Match award in the first ODI of three in a series between May and June.
Babar, the ODI Player-of-the-Year for 2021 and the No. 1 ranked ODI batsman in the world, is in the running to do a repeat in 2022 after he again showed his prowess in the 50 overs-a-side format.
In nine matches, Babar, 28, had eight scores of more than 50, three of which he converted into hundreds, and he finished the year with 679 runs at a stunning average of 84.87.
Zampa, 30, continued to show why he has been a vital cog in the Australian white-ball set-up, finishing the year by matching his tally of 30 wickets from his debut year in 2016.
Raza, 36, marked the resurgence of Zimbabwe on the international scene with 645 runs at an average of 49.61 and strike rate of 87.16, including three hundreds, all of which came while chasing, with two resulting in victories and another almost taking Zimbabwe across the line against India.
With the ball in hand, Raza was reliable, scalping eight wickets while giving away a little more than five runs an over.
