Pakistan’s women wicket-keeper Fatima Sana has been nominated along with other players in the July nominees for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month awards, instituted in January this year to recognise the best international performances across formats for male and female cricketers.
The nominees for the monthly men’s awards this time were Shakib Al Hasan (BAN), Mitchell Marsh (AUS) and Hayden Walsh Jr (WI) while Hayley Matthews (WI), Fatima Sana (PAK) and Stafanie Taylor (WI) figure in the women’s shortlist, said a press release issued here.
An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered on icc cricket.com/awards are invited to cast their votes for their favourite ICC player of the month for July in both categories.
ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)- Experienced star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh contributed to all three formats of the game as Bangladesh won the series against Zimbabwe last month.
Shakib Al Hasan scored 96 unbeaten runs as Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by three wickets in the second ODI at the Harare Sports Club. In the T20Is with the ball, Hasan took three wickets at an economy rate of seven leading his country to a series win against Zimbabwe.
Mitchell Marsh (Australia)- Australian allrounder Mitchell Marsh played three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies last month. In the T20Is, Marsh scored 219 runs with a strike rate of 152.08 and took 8 wickets with an economy rate of 6.76, making him the lead run-scorer and wicket-taker for Australia in the series.
Hayden Walsh Jr (West Indies)- Leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr played three ODIs against Australia last month, where he took seven wickets with an economy rate of 4.14. Walsh Jr was also the most impressive bowler in the T20I series against Australia where he picked up twelve wickets in five games at an average of 11.66, making him the leading wicket-taker for the West Indies in both the ODI and T20I series against Australia.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July: Hayley Matthews (West Indies)- West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews scored her second ODI hundred and took two wickets with the ball as West Indies cruised to a dominant series-clinching eight-wicket win over Pakistan last month. Matthews was also named Player of the Series against Pakistan.
Fatima Sana (PAK)- Fatima Sana was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in the ODI series against the West Indies, and also a joint-leader for her side in the T20I series between the sides.
A maiden five-wicket haul from Fatima Sana helped Pakistan defeat West Indies by 22 runs via the DLS method in the fifth ODI of the series. In the same game, with four overs remaining in a shortened innings due to a delayed start, Sana scored an unbeaten 28 off 19 balls which included four boundaries. She was also named the player of the match for her stellar performance.
Stafanie Taylor (WI)- Captain Stafanie Taylor contributed with both bat and ball as the West Indies won both their ODI and T20I series against Pakistan in July. In the four ODIs against Pakistan, Stafanie scored 175 runs with a strike rate of 79.18 and took three wickets with an economy rate of 3.72. Stafanie was also on top of the rankings for batters and all-rounders in the MRF ICC Women’s ODI Rankings earlier in July.
