The International Cricket Council (ICC) have announced the winners of the Players of the Month Awards for March 2021 which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all formats of the game.
India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 2021, for his impressive performances in the recently concluded limited-overs series against England. He took six wickets with an economy rate of 4.65 in the three ODIs, while capturing four wickets with a fantastic economy rate of 6.38 in the five T20Is.
After winning the award, Bhuvneshwar said, “After what seemed like a really long and painful gap, I was delighted to be playing for India again. I used the time away to work on my fitness and skill and I am happy to be back taking wickets for my country. I would like to thank each and every person who helped me in this journey starting from my family and friends and my teammates. Also, a special thank you to the ICC voting academy and all the fans who voted for me and made me the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March.”
Besides Bhuvneshwar, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams were also nominated in the men’s category.
☝️ Six ODI wickets at 22.50
☝️ Four T20I wickets at 28.75
🔥 Two series-defining performances against England in T20Is and ODIsWell done, @BhuviOfficial for becoming the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 🙌#ICCPOTM pic.twitter.com/qqYhuuGbqX
— ICC (@ICC) April 13, 2021
South Africa’s Lizelle Lee, who played four ODIs against India where she smashed a hundred and two half-centuries, was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for March 2021.
Reacting to the win, Lee said: “I am happy and honoured to receive this award. Such accolades are a great way to keep me motivated and to continue to work even harder on my game. A big thank you to my teammates for their support as this would never have been possible without them.”
🏏 288 ODI runs at 144
🏏 90 T20I runs at 30
📈 Made huge gains in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Rankings for battingCongratulations, @zella15j for becoming the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for March 👏#ICCPOTM pic.twitter.com/T7EjkAHBtW
— ICC (@ICC) April 13, 2021
The nominees among the women’s also included the Indian duo of Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Punam Raut.
(With ICC inputs)
