ICC Award: ICC Men’s Player of the Month for February 2024: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the list of the latest awards for men, in which the names of star cricketers in world cricket are included.
In this list, Kiwi batsman Kane Williamson is in first place, Indian young batsman Rising Star Yasvi Jaiswal is in second place, and Sri Lankan young batsman is in third place, who raised his star based on his bat and was selected as a contender for the award.
Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
Kane Williamson played a key role in New Zealand’s first Test series win over South Africa. The veteran New Zealand player scored two centuries in the first Test at Mount Maunganui and then scored 133* to help his team chase down a tricky fourth-inning target in Hamilton and seal the series win.
This was the first instance of Williamson scoring two centuries in a Test match. The impressive series ensured that New Zealand would climb up the ICC World Test Championship table and finish in second place at the end of February with three wins from five Test matches.
However, it was at Hamilton that Williamson produced his best performances for a team in crisis. Chasing 267, Williamson came in at No. 3 and scored 133* with the help of 12 fours and two sixes to help the Black Caps seal a 2-0 series win.
The chase by Williamson was the fourth highest successful chase by the Black Caps in New Zealand and the fifth highest overall. Williamson also scored his 32nd Test century, the most among active players now.
He also won the title of fastest 32 Test centuries in terms of innings and left behind Steve Smith, who had achieved this feat in 174 innings.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)
Yashasvi Jaiswal is a serious contender for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for February 2024 after recording back-to-back double hundreds in the month.
Jaiswal gave an outstanding 2019 performance in the first innings of the second Test in Vizag against England while he was at his best. He subsequently made a double century in the second innings of the subsequent Test match in Rajkot, which helped India win the series.
India was able to bounce back from the first Test of the series loss thanks to an innings played by Jaiswal. The opening batsman, who is left-handed, also topped the list of players who scored the most runs during the 2023–25 ICC World Test Championship.
In February, Jaiswal broke multiple records, including the all-time record for the most sixes (12) in a Test innings set during his Rajkot innings.
At 22 years and 49 days, he became the third-youngest batsman in history to make two double hundreds in Test cricket, behind Sir Donald Bradman and Vinod Kambli, with back-to-back centuries.
Jaiswal produced a stunning performance in three Test matches in late February, with 560 runs at an average of 112, including 20 sixes.
Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka)
Pathum Nissanka is the top contender for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for February 2024 after he scored the first double century by a Sri Lankan in ODIs.
The 25-year-old scored 210* off just 139 balls against Afghanistan in Pallekele and then finished the series with another brilliant century (118 off 101 balls). Nissanka broke Sanath Jayasuriya’s 24-year-old record for the highest score by a Sri Lankan in ODIs.
In 2000, Jayasuriya made 189 runs in a match against India in Sharjah. The final eighteen overs saw 110 runs scored by Nissanka. He faced just 48 balls after reaching his century, hitting 20 fours and eight sixes to reach his double century.
Nissanka continued his form in the T20Is as well and made a brilliant start in the second T20I against Afghanistan by scoring 25 runs in 11 balls and then scoring 60 runs in just 30 balls in the chase of 210 runs. However, he retired hurt on the score of 83/2, and Sri Lanka lost by three runs.
Also read: ICC Rankings: After India vs England Test Match ICC has updated Rankings.
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