A day after Pakistan captain Babar Azam failed to go big against India in the Super 4 clash at R.Premadasa Stadium, the right-hander has been crowned by the ICC as the Player of the Month for August. It's worth noting that it's Babar's Player of the Month award for the 3rd time in his career.
The 28-year-old continued to impress with his outstanding performances in August and beat fellow countryman Shadab Khan and West Indies' Nicholas Pooran for the award. Babar opened his Asia Cup 2023 with an extraordinary 151 off 131 deliveries against Nepal to fashion a 238-run win for Pakistan.
He faced a rare setback in the 1st ODI against Afghanistan against Hambantota, scoring a two-ball duck. However, he returned to form, contributing 53 to Pakistan's nail-biting victory in the 2nd ODI, followed by 60 more as the Men in Green secured a series sweep.
Babar Azam looking forward to scoring more runs as 2023 World Cup looms:
Addressing his award win, Babar credited his team for delivering an extraordinary performance and reckons the best moment was scoring 151 in Multan. The Lahore-born cricketer said, as quoted by ICC:
"I am delighted to be named ICC Player of the Month for August 2023. The past month has been extraordinary for my team and I as we have put some terrific performances. With the Asia Cup coming to Pakistan after such a long time, it was great to play in front of the passionate and cricket-loving crowds of Multan and Lahore. That I scored my second ODI score of 150-plus in front of my own people in Multan doubled the joy. I am looking forward to making the most of the form as we head into an exciting phase of cricket with the backend of the Asia Cup nearing and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup around the corner."
Pakistan's 2023 World Cup campaign starts against the Netherlands on October 6th.
