Keegan Petersen, Heather Knight named ICC Players of the Month
What's the story
England women's cricket team skipper Heather Knight was named International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month for January 2022 on Monday. In the men's category, South Africa's Keegan Petersen was voted POTM for his magnificent performance during his country's Test series against India. Petersen won the award ahead of Bangladesh pacer Ebadot Hossain and South Africa Under-19 star Dewald Brevis. Here's more.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The 'Player of the Month' trophy was introduced by ICC in January 2021 to recognize players for their standout performances in each month. POTM winners and nominees are decided by an ICC panel, comprising ex-players and journalists. 10% weightage in the final result is given to the public vote. Meanwhile, Knight won POTM by defeating Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu and West Indies' Deandra Dottin.
Numbers
A look at Petersen's numbers during Test series against India
Petersen ended the three-match Test series versus India as the highest run-getter to become the Player of the Series. He racked up 276 runs at an average of 46.00. He slammed three fifties with the best score of 82. Petersen contributed with successive fifties in the series decider as the hosts won by seven wickets to clinch the Test series 2-1.
Performance
Heather Knight's performance against Australia in one-off Test
Knight was at her best during England's one-off Test against Australia last month. She accumulated 216 runs in the Canberra Test to take the Player of the Match trophy home. She scored an unbeaten 168 during England's first innings to register the second-highest score by a captain in the history of women's Tests. The solitary Test between the two nations ended in a draw.
Statement
Irfan Pathan on Knight's performance
"168 is the highest Test score by any female English batter against Australia in Australia," said Irfan Pathan, a member of ICC's voting panel. "It is also the second-highest score in women's Tests in Australia. Her innings is made even more remarkable given its importance in securing the draw for England in the only Test," the former Indian seamer noted.