The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday (June 14) named the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for May. The award, introduced in January this year, recognizes the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket.

In the men’s category, Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim won the ICC Player of the Month for May thanks to his stellar showing in the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Rahim was the top scorer in the home ODI series, amassing 237 runs in three matches and helped Bangladesh win their first ODI series against Sri Lanka by hitting 125 in the second game.

Commenting on Rahim’s performance in May, VVS Laxman representing the ICC Voting Academy said: “Even after 15 years at the highest level, Mushfiqur has not lost his appetite for run-making. He was at his imperious best in the one-day series at home against Sri Lanka, a picture of consistency with the highlight being 125 in the second match which helped his side secure a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.”

“What made his feat even more notable was that it was Bangladesh’s first-ever ODI series triumph against the 1996 World Cup champions. To shore up the middle order and don the wicket-keeping gloves speaks volumes of his fitness and skills,” he added.

In the women’s section, Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce bagged the prestigious award for her brilliant all-round showing.

Last month, Kathryn played four T20Is against Ireland, in which she scored 96 runs and claimed 5 wickets with an economy rate of 4.76.

Commenting on Kathryn’s performance in May, Ramiz Raja representing the ICC Voting Academy said, “Kathryn’s all-round game came through in a series that her team lost. She batted with flair and bowled well too and deserved to be the player of the month for May.”