Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Axar nominated for ICC ‘Player of the Month’

The Indian trio of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Axar Patel was on Wednesday nominated ICC ‘Player of the Month’ award within the ladies and men’s classes for September.

Skipper Kaur and vice-captain Mandhana have been shortlisted for the very first time and if one in every of them goes on to win will then turn out to be the primary ever India participant to win the Women’s Player of the Month award, due to stellar performances in each ODI and T20I sequence in England. Axar, then again, has been nominated for the lads’s Player of the Month following a sequence of spectacular and restrictive bowling shows in opposition to Australia and South Africa.

Despite a disappointing T20I sequence in England in the beginning of the month, Kaur was in imperious kind through the subsequent ODI sequence which adopted.

Scoring 221 runs throughout the three matches, she guided her facet over the ending line within the first match with a managed 74 not out, earlier than she clinched the sequence for her workforce in model within the second match, placing an unbeaten 143 to seal a historic first ODI sequence victory for her facet in England since 1999.

Another of the main lights of India’s batting lineup, and final yr’s winner of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, Mandhana additionally excelled throughout her time in England in September.

She scored persistently throughout each white-ball sequence, highlighted by her unbeaten 79 through the first T20I in Derby and 91 within the first ODI in Canterbury – each match profitable contributions. Mandhana additionally ended the month averaging over 50 in each codecs, and with a strike-rate of 137 within the T20Is, underlining the size of her successes through the month.

Bangladesh’s Nigar Sultana, who captained her facet to seal their place on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023 is the third nominee within the girls’s class.

So typically a key menace in India’s bowling assault, Axar loved a prolific September to earn his first nomination for Player of the Month.

Claiming a complete of 9 wickets at a mean of 11.44 and with an excellent economic system fee of simply 5.72, he most notably excelled within the house sequence in opposition to Australia, the place he took three for 17 in Mohali, two for 13 in Nagpur, and three for 33 in Hyderabad to underline his vital credentials as a key asset for India within the shorter format.

Australia’s Cameron Green, was an instrumental determine in notable victories over New Zealand and India, and Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, who dazzled with a glittering run of performances with the bat, are the opposite nominees.