The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (February 2) disclosed the nominees for the newly-introduced player of the month awards which recognise and celebrate the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year.
For the month of January, India's Rishabh Pant, England's Joe Root and Ireland's Paul Stirling have been nominated in the men’s category while Pakistan Diana's Baig, South Africa's Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp have been nominated in the women’s section.
Pant played a key role in India’s recent 2-1 Test series win in Australia. His 97 in the third Test in Sydney nearly helped India win the match before it ended as a draw while the southpaw smashed 89 not out to take the visitors over the line in the final Test at the Gabba while chasing 328 in the fourth innings.
On the other hand, Root led his team from the front with match-winning knocks of 228 and 186 in the first and second Tests at Galle as England inflicted 2-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka during the recently held series.
The third nominee in the category, Stirling played two ODIs against UAE and three ODIs versus Afghanistan last month, in which he hit three centuries.
Diana Baig of Pakistan featured in three ODIs and two T20Is against South Africa, where she topped the wicket-takers chart with 9 scalps in the ODI series.
South Africa's Shabnim Ismail also played three ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan and claimed seven wickets in the ODI series, before grabbing five wickets in the second T20I.
Her compatriot all-rounder Marizanne Kapp played two ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan. She scored 115 runs at a strike rate of 110.57 and picked up three wickets in the ODI series.
This shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket family including senior journalists, former players, and broadcasters, and some members of the ICC Hall of Fame.
(Inputs from ICC/ANI)
