The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced its men’s and women’s teams for the year 2021 for different formats of cricket with maximum three cricketers being picked from Bangladesh in the Men’s ODI team.
All- rounder Shakib Al Hasan, wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim and pacer Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh included in the ICC Men’s ODI team.
Bangladeshi brilliant pacer Mustafizur Rahman has also been included in the ICC Men’s T20 team for the year. But, Bangladesh has no representation in the ICC Men’s Test, Women’s ODI and T20 teams.
Unrepresented in the ICC’s Men’s ‘T20 Team of the Year 2021’ due to a disastrous World Cup campaign in the UAE, no Indian cricketer featured in the global body’s ‘ODI Team of the Year 2021’, despite the inclusion of two players from minnows Ireland.
Incidentally, the ICC Men’s ODI team also does not have any cricketers from Australia, England, New Zealand and West Indies.
But the team has two Pakistani cricketers, including Babar Azam as captain for both the Men’s ODI and T20 teams and another is Fakhar Zaman.
Babar, who has played least among the 11 players, also has 405 runs in six games with two hundreds while his country-mate Zaman has 369 runs in the year.
Shakib was superb as an all-rounder having 277 runs and 17 wickets, while Mushfiqur Rahim had 400-plus runs along with stumping and catches while pacer Mustafizur Rahman had 18 wickets to consider for ICC Men’s ODI team.
Sri Lanka (15), Ireland (14) and Bangladesh (12) played the most number of ODIs in 2021, so their players dominate in the ICC XI.
ICC teams of the year 2021 for different formats:
Men’s ODIs: Paul Stirling, Janneman Malan, Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Simi Singh and Dushmantha Chameera
Men’s Tests: Dimuth Karunaratne, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson (capt), Joe Root, Marnus Labuschagne, Fawad Alam, Rishabh Pant (wk), R Ashwin, Kyle Jamieson, Hasan Ali, and Shaheen Afridi
Men’s T20Is: Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (capt), Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shaheen Afridi
Women’s ODIs: Lizelle Lee, Alyssa Healy (wk), Tammy Beaumont, Mithali Raj, Heather Knight (capt), Hayley Matthews, Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail, Fatima Sana, Jhulan Goswami, and Anisa Mohammed
Women’s T20Is: Smriti Mandhana, Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Gaby Lewis, Nat Sciver (capt), Amy Jones (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Sophie Ecclestone, Loryn Phiri, Shabnim Ismail
Source: United News of Bangladesh