The International Cricket Council today revealed the latest crop of outstanding international performers shortlisted for their outstanding performances in May as the candidates for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month Awards were announced.
A competitive month of men’s international matches saw the conclusion of fixtures in the ICC Super League, thus confirming the full lineup of teams set to battle it out in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe later this month.
In women’s internationals, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh went head-to-head in May, along with a host of bilateral fixtures and the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia which was won by Thailand.
The Men’s shortlist comprises three names which starred in the ODI format. Pakistan skipper and holder of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Babar Azam is nominated for his performances at the latter end of his side’s series victory over New Zealand. Bangladesh batter Najmul Hossain Shanto is shortlisted for the first time following a prolific spell of run-scoring as his side triumphed over Ireland. The final candidate in line for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award is Ireland’s Harry Tector, who continued his fine international form against Bangladesh, albeit in a losing cause.
Sri Lanka can boast two nominees for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for May. Captain Chamari Athapaththu led the line in series victories over Bangladesh in ODI and T20Is, scoring well in both formats. Her compatriot Harshitha Madavi also enjoyed decisive contributions in both series, starring as the Player of the Series in the T20I round of matches. The lineup is completed by Thailand’s Thipoatcha Putthawong, who aims to emulate teammate Naruemol Chaiwai’s Player of the Month prize in April, and whose bowling prowess helped her side claim gold in the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh.
An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world will now be invited to cast their votes to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered at icc-cricket.com/awards will be able to vote for their favourite performers until Saturday.
ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for May:
Babar Azam (PAK)
As Fakhar Zaman dominated the start of the ODI series against New Zealand in April – claiming the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award in the process – his captain Babar Azam took the spotlight in the latter stages of the 4-1 win on home soil. 54 runs in the third ODI preceded his highlight of the month, a commanding 107 from 117, guiding the home side to a convincing 102-run triumph in Karachi. If successful, Babar will become the first player to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award on three separate occasions (April 2021 and March 2022).
Najmul Hossain Shanto (BAN)
Bangladesh and Ireland played out the final series in the ICC Super League during the month, and Shanto claimed the Player of the Series award for 196 runs across the tourists’ hard-fought 2-0 sweep. Sandwiched between 44 runs in the abandoned first ODI and 35 in the final match, Shanto was the principal catalyst in a memorable last-over triumph in the second fixture, scoring a brilliant 117 in 93 balls which helped them chase down an improbable 320 in Chelmsford after a slow start.
Harry Tector (IRE)
Tector becomes Ireland’s first nominee for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award since Paul Stirling was shortlisted back in January 2021, and his maiden nomination comes on the back of a sustained period of good form in international colours. Despite the series against Bangladesh ending in defeat, Tector’s 206 runs presented several positives for Ireland as the Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier approaches, most notably a career-best innings of 140 in the second ODI, featuring 10 sixes.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for May:
Chamari Athapaththu (SL)
The Sri Lanka skipper is nominated for the first time since January 2022 after overseeing two notable series victories in May – the first, a weather affected ODI series, and the second, an evenly-fought T20I series – against touring Bangladesh. Athapaththu was a key figure in the solitary ODI that took place, scoring a valuable 64 in 60 balls before taking the prized scalp of Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana with the ball in the response. This 58-run victory preceded another fine spell at the crease in the shortest format, Athapaththu inspiring her side to claim the 2-1 victory thanks to three consecutive scores of 30-plus atop the order in Colombo.
Harshitha Madavi (SL)
With 170 runs scored across her four fixtures in May (one ODI and three T20Is), the Sri Lankan top order batter excelled in her side’s short format successes. Her unbeaten 45 in the decisive ODI proved crucial in support of her captain, and she followed that victory up with 125 runs across three T20Is, only losing her wicket once. Scoring 45 in a losing cause in the first fixture, she inspired a strong response with unbeaten scores of 29 and 51 to seal the 2-1 series triumph and claim the Player of the Series award as the top run-scorer.
Thipoatch Putthawong (THAI)
Thailand scooped gold in the Women’s T20I category of the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, and they can owe their success in part thanks to a string of glittering bowling displays by their 19-year-old spinner. The left-armer took 11 wickets in four T20Is during the performance period at a staggering average of 1.54, enjoying successive spells of four wickets for three runs, three for three, and three for two against Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar respectively in Thailand’s surge to gold.
The ICC Player of the Month Voting Process:
The three nominees for either category are shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC can vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on ICC’s digital channels.
Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month May 2023:
Afghanistan: Hameed Qayoomi and Javed Hamim; Australia: Scott Bailey and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Mohammad Sekander Ali and Md Ariful Islam Roney; England: Elizabeth Ammon and Lydia Greenway; Ireland: Ger Siggins and Clare Shillington; India: S Gomesh and Irfan Pathan; New Zealand: Merryn Anderson and Craig Cumming; Pakistan: Sawera Pasha and Sana Mir; South Africa: Zaahier Adams and Ashwell Prince; Sri Lanka: Azzam Ameen and Farveez Maharoof; West Indies: Daren Ganga and Stacy Ann King; Zimbabwe: Daniel Nhakaniso and Grant Flower; Others: Ajit Vijaykumar and Dirk Nannes.
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