ICC Award: ICC announces Player of the Month awards for March: The shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month includes notable players from Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Ireland. The three outstanding players nominated for Women’s Player of the Month are from England, Australia, and New Zealand.
The shortlist of contenders for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards for performances in March was released today by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The names selected for March’s ICC Player of the Month honors span a variety of formats and honor exceptional individual performers on the international cricket stage.
A pivotal figure in Ireland’s historic first-ever men’s Test triumph, a productive front-line bowler from New Zealand, and a record-breaking Sri Lankan Test run-scorer are all on the shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award.
After making contributions to both the shorter forms and Ireland’s Test victory over Afghanistan, Mark Adair has been nominated for the first time for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award.
Matt Henry of New Zealand also had a great month at the wicket, picking up wickets on a regular basis in his team’s World Test Championship series against Australia.
Batsman Kamindu Mendis of Sri Lanka, who was nominated for his outstanding batting performance during Sri Lanka’s longest-format victory over Bangladesh, completes the team.
The women’s shortlist celebrates both shorter formats, with the nominees including an explosive young English batsman and iconic all-rounders from Australia and New Zealand.
England’s Maia Bouchier reached the top of the run-scoring charts in her team’s victorious T20I series in New Zealand, for which she has been handed her first nomination. Ashley Gardner is a four-time former ICC Women’s Player of the Month winner and has been inducted once again after starring in Australia’s ODI series win against Bangladesh.
New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr may have been on the losing side in the England series, but she provided strong resistance as the White Ferns’ leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the March fixtures.
Fans around the world will now be able to vote for their favorite performers at icc-cricket.com/awards to cast their votes to decide the winners.
ICC Men’s Player of The Month Award:
Mark Adair (IRE)
The Irish pacer participated in March’s three forms and excelled in each. Adair’s greatest contribution, though, came in the longest format, as Ireland defeated Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi to win their first-ever men’s Test match. Adair bowled excellently, taking three wickets for 56 runs in the second innings, including the valuable wickets of Ibrahim Zadran and captain Hashmat Shahidi, and five wickets for 39 runs in the first. More wickets in the ODI and T20I series that followed were taken by Adair, who concluded the month with 16 wickets in all three forms, thanks to his Player of the Match performance.
Matt Henry (New Zealand)
While the New Zealand fast bowler’s ICC World Test Championship series against Australia ended in defeat, he was a bright spot for the Blackcaps in March. In the first innings of the First Test at Wellington, Henry was the main threat with the ball, taking five wickets and dismissing both of Australia’s opening batsmen in aggressive spells.
The 32-year-old Henry dominated the middle order in the opening innings of the second Test, claiming seven wickets for 67 runs, and turning in one of his greatest performances to date. In his two Test matches, the 32-year-old played superbly, claiming 17 wickets at an average of 15.70. His performance was recognized as Player of the Series thanks to his unwavering precision and consistency.
Kamindu Mendis (SL)
The 25-year-old batsman began the month with a modest score in Sri Lanka’s T20I series against Bangladesh, but he made history in the first Test in Sylhet by breaking all previous records. Mendis and Dhananjay de Silva, who came to the crease at 57 for five, salvaged Sri Lanka’s innings, amassing 102 runs and finally posting a creditable 280.
Mendis and de Silva once again established control as their team faced similar difficulties in the second inning at 126 for six. The former player’s massive 164 off 237 balls was instrumental in his team’s easy victory, and he became the first batsman batting at number seven or lower to score two centuries in the same Test. He took the lead as a player.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award:
Maia Boucher (England)
Bouchier enjoyed a landmark month in her international career, scoring 223 runs at an average of 55.75 and an amazing strike rate of 129.65 in her five Twenty20 matches in New Zealand. She also made her maiden appearance on the shortlist for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award. Ensured.
In the opening match of the series, she scored an unbeaten 43 runs to put England ahead. However, in the third match, even though England lost, she scored 71 runs in just 47 balls in an explosive inning. In the ensuing series decider in Wellington, Boucher was moved to start the batting and achieved his greatest T20I total of 91 runs off 56 balls. She was the star of a 47-run victory that sealed the series.
Ash Gardner (Australia)
Gardner has already won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award four times. Her candidature for a fifth time stems from her outstanding play during Australia’s ODI series victory over Bangladesh last month. Throughout the three-match competition, Australia’s bowlers were outstanding, consistently bowling out the hosts for fewer than 100 runs. Gardner’s deadly spin attack continued to be a constant menace, claiming three wickets in the opening game, two in the second, and three more in the third. After capturing eight wickets at an average of 8.62 in three matches in Mirpur, Gardner was named Player of the Series.
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)
The player from New Zealand has also won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award before, taking home the top prize in February 2022. Her most recent nomination came from her performances in the recent short format series with England, where she finished as the leading scorer for the White Ferns. Scorer of runs and wicket-taker.
Notable contributions from her included 44 runs from 36 balls in the second Twenty20 International, which was a losing effort, and another 44 runs with Sophie Devine in the Nelson game, which was won by New Zealand. With 114 runs at 38.00 and six wickets, the 23-year-old not only had a fantastic month but also demonstrated why he is one of the best young players in the world.
For more details, visit: ICC