The International Cricket Council on Wednesday (May 5) nominated Pakistan batsmen Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman for the newly-introduced player of the month award.

Apart from the Pakistan pair, Nepal batsman Khushal Bhurtel has also been shortlisted for the month of April in the men's category.

Last month, Pakistan skipper Babar replaced his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli as the No. 1 ODI batsman. His match-winning 82-ball 94 in the third ODI against South Africa helped him gain 13 rating points to reach a career-best 865 points.

Babar also slammed 122 off 59 balls in Pakistan’s successful chase of 204 in the third T20I versus South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

On the other hand, Fakhar produced stellar performances during the month, smashing a couple of centuries in the 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa, including a magnificent 193 in the second game in Johannesburg.

Talking about Nepal’s Khushal, he was the leading run-scorer (278 runs in 5 matches) as his team clinched a tri-series, featuring Netherlands and Malaysia as well.

In the women's section, the Australian duo of Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt and New Zealand’s Leigh Kasperek have been nominated for the month of April.

Alyssa featured in three ODIs versus New Zealand, amassing 155 runs at an average of 51.66 and a strike rate of 98.72. She finished as the leading run-scorer while Australia clinched the series victory over New Zealand and extended their record-winning streak to 24 ODIs.

Her teammate Megan became Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the same series, claiming seven scalps at an average of 13.14.

New Zealand’s Leigh played two ODIs against Australia, achieving career-best figures of six for 46 in the second match of the series, and followed this up with three more wickets in the final match, finishing with nine wickets at an average of 7.77.

(With ICC inputs)