ICC Player of the Month: Keshav Maharaj gets nominated
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the nominees for both men's and women's Player of the Month for April 2022. South African spinners Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer have been nominated. Oman's opening batter, Jatinder Singh, is a nominee as well. Among women cricketers, Alyssa Healy, Natalie Sciver, and Janet Mbabazi have been nominated for the same. Here's more.
- The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been awarding the trophy since 2021.
- The voting panel for the same is constituted of journalists and former cricketers.
- Meanwhile, the public gets to account for 10% of the results.
- The Player of the Month trophy is handed to the male and female cricketer who has done exceedingly well in international cricket across formats for that given month.
Maharaj was a key player behind SA's 2-0 Test series win at home over Bangladesh. The left-arm spinner grabbed prolific figures of 7/32 in the fourth innings in Durban. In the second Test, he scalped 7/40 in the final innings, scripting a 332-run win for the hosts. Maharaj was eventually adjudged as the Player of the Series. Overall, he bagged 16 wickets at 12.12.
The off-spinner ran down the Bangladeshi line-up in both the first and second Tests. Notably, Harmer was making a return to international cricket after a period of six years. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the two-match series (13). He averaged a mere 15.15. Harmer punched figures of 4/103 in Durban, his best numbers in an innings in the concluded series.
The opening batter rendered mind-boggling exhibitions in the ODI tri-series against PNG and Scotland in Dubai. Jatinder racked up a stellar tally of 259 runs in four outings. He slammed three fifty-plus knocks, including a 118* in a 225-run chase against PNG. He then struck 79 off 77 deliveries to set a 278-run target for PNG. Oman eventually won by 85 runs.
The duo played just one outing in April. It was the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup final (Australia vs England). Healy smacked a historic 170 (138). It is the highest score by a batter across genders in a WC final. Her knock propelled Australia to a target of 357. Meanwhile, Sciver punched a mighty 148 (121). England, however, lost by 71 runs.
The all-rounder clocked eye-grabbing numbers in the T20I tri-series between Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Namibia in Windhoek. She finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series. She pocketed 11 wickets at 7.81 (economy 5.60). With the willow, Mbabazi racked up 118 runs at 29.50.
