Table of Contents
On Tuesday (February 03), the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the candidates’ list for the inaugural ICC Player of the Month award. These awards recognise the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all formats.
India’s sensation Rishabh Pant has been nominated for the awards along with England skipper Joe Root and senior Ireland cricketer Paul Stirling.
Pant played two Tests in January against Australia where he produced notable performances. In the Sydney Test, Pant scored 97 runs during the second innings, resulting in a thrilling draw. Pant continued the momentum and played a match-winning 89 runs knock in Brisbane which helped Team India win a Test at the Gabba in 32 years and seal the 4-match series 2-1.
Root has also been in scintillating form in the whites. The English skipper scored breathtaking innings of 228 and 186 in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka which England won by 2-0.
Similarly, Ireland’s Stirling also shined with the willow. He featured in two ODIs vs UAE and three ODIs vs Afghanistan, where he scored three hundreds.
When it comes to women’s cricket, Pakistan’s Diana Baig, South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp have been named in the nominations.
Baig appeared in three ODIs and two T20Is against South Africa. She was the leading wicket-taker (9) in the ODI leg.
Shabnim also played three ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan. She picked up seven wickets in the ODI series and five scalps in the T20I leg.
Shabnim’s compatriot Kapp played two ODIs and as many T20Is against Pakistan where she scored 115 runs at a strike rate of 110.57 and bagged three wickets in the ODI series.
Here is Player of the Month voting process:
These shortlisted candidates will be voted by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world.
The Voting Academy comprises members of the cricket family, including senior journalists, former players, broadcasters, and some ICC Hall of Fame members. Some of the famous names are VVS Laxman, Ramiz Raja, Jonty Rhodes, Russel Arnold and Ian Bishop.
