After an exciting month of cricket in October, the International Cricket Council (ICC) today unveiled the newest group of international superstars vying for the ICC Player of the Month title. Three of the best players from October’s group stage matches at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup are honored on the ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist.
During the first few overs of the CWC23, Jasprit Bumrah was at his most destructive with the ball, claiming many crucial wickets that drove much of India’s undefeated start to the tournament. In the Proteas’ explosive opening to the competition, Quinton de Kock amassed three century scores while batting first for South Africa. Rachin Ravindra rounds out the lineup. Against Australia and England in his first World Cup match, he played brilliantly and scored hundreds.
The shortlist for the October ICC Women’s Player of the Month award consists of three contemporary icons of the women’s game.
Nahida Akter, a left arm spinner from Bangladesh, is a nominee for the award. Her team won a tight T20I series against a visiting Pakistani team thanks to three performances that saw her take three wickets. In October, Amelia Kerr amassed a lot of runs and made significant contributions to both the ODI and T20I matches against South Africa. Lastly, after remarkable white-ball exploits in the competitive series in Australia, Hayley Matthews, an all-round player for the West Indies, is nominated.
The winners will be revealed the following week, and votes will now be accepted from an impartial ICC Voting Academy* and fans worldwide. Voting for their favorite performers is open to fans who have registered at icc-cricket.com/awards through Thursday.
October’s ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees:
Jasprit Bumrah (IND)
India’s frontline pacer was the engine of their outstanding bowling performances as they got off to a devastating start in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. He dominated Afghanistan with four wickets for 39 runs in Delhi after opening his campaign with an outstanding two for 35 against Australia in Chennai. This continued in dramatic fashion as the seamer took two for 19 in a remarkable performance that earned him Player of the Match against Pakistan, which was played in Ahmedabad. The seamer also claimed the valuable wicket of Mohammad Rizwan with a beautiful slower ball. Throughout the month of October, Bumrah claimed 14 wickets at an average of 15.07 while also displaying an incredible economy of 3.91.
Quinton De Kock (SA)
The opening batsman for South Africa, who has already declared his retirement from ODI cricket at the conclusion of the Cricket World Cup, had an even greater influence during the Proteas’ dominant opening to CWC23 in October. His tournament career began with back-to-back hundreds against Australia and Sri Lanka. He then struggled in his next two matches against the Netherlands and England, but he bounced back against Bangladesh with a career-high 174. De Kock has 431 runs at an average of 71.83, making him a strong candidate for Player of the Month. This is his first nomination since June 2021.
Rachin Ravindra(NZ)
Ravindra’s quick start to CWC23 may have taken some by surprise as he had only played in 12 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) before the tournament began, but the 23-year-old made headlines right away when he scored 123 runs in 96 balls to help New Zealand defeat England, the reigning champions, by nine wickets on the first day of play. After this incredible performance, Ravindra scored half-centuries against India (75) and the Netherlands (51), and his outstanding month was topped off by a stunning 116 against Australia. After scoring 406 runs at an average of 81.20 in October, he celebrates receiving his first nomination.
October’s ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees:
Nahida Akter (BAN)
Akter is thrilled to be nominated for the Women’s Player of the Month award for the first time since November 2021, when she was beaten out by Hayley Matthews. This time, Akter’s excellent bowling performances against Pakistan in Chattogram guarantee her a berth on the shortlist. In the opening match, Akter was at his best, taking five wickets for eight runs, two of which came from the dangerous Muneeba Ali and Sidra Ameen, to help seal a narrow five-wicket win. She won the Player of the Series title and the opportunity to compete for her first-ever ICC Player of the Month award with two wickets in the second game and one in the final match.
Amelia Kerr(NZ)
Due to multiple significant contributions in the ODI and T20I series in South Africa, the important all-round player for the White Ferns had another successful month. She began the month with a century in the last match of the ODI series, and then she secured a Player of the Series award with two half-centuries (70* and 61) in the only T20Is to be completed at Benoni. She is on track to earn her first Player of the Month title since February 2022 with 134 runs in the T20I series at an average of 67 and a strike rate of 135.35.
Hayley Matthews (WI)
Matthews was previously shortlisted in June of this year for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award. Her most recent nomination stems from a scorching run-scoring performance during the West Indies’ heroic loss in the T20I series in Australia in October. On her path to winning Player of the Series, the top-ranked all-rounder in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings continuously stopped the defending world champions with powerful hitting and crucial wickets. The captain’s standout performance in the T20I series came in the second game, when he scored 132 in just 64 balls following a bowling streak of 3 for 36. He finished with 310 runs and five wickets.
India
