Pant, Root named as nominees for ICC Men's Player of the Month

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the nominees for the inaugural ICC Player of the Month Awards which recognise and celebrate the best performances across all forms of international cricket throughout the year. For the Men's Player of the Month (January), India's Rishabh Pant, England's Joe Root, and Ireland's Paul Stirling have been nominated while for the Women's Player of the Month, Pakistan Diana's Baig, South Africa's Shabnim Ismail, and Marizanne Kapp have been nominated.

Rishabh Pant played two Tests against Australia. He scored 97 at Sydney to ensure a draw before an unbeaten 89 at Brisbane led India to a historic series win. England Captain Joe Root played two Tests against Sri Lanka, where he scored 228 and 186 and led his team to a 2-0 Test series victory.

The third nominee in the category, Ireland's Paul Stirling, played two ODIs against UAE and three ODIs v Afghanistan, where he scored three centuries. Diana Baig of Pakistan played three ODIs and two T20Is against South Africa, where she led the wicket-takers with nine wickets in the three-match ODI series.

South Africa's Shabnim Ismail also played three ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan and took seven wickets in the ODI series, before taking five wickets in the second T20I against the same opposition. Her compatriot all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, who is the third nominee in the category, played two ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan. She made 115 runs at a strike rate of 110.57 and took three wickets in the ODI series against Pakistan.

The three nominees for each of the categories are shortlisted based on on-field performances and overall achievements during the period of that month (the first to the last day of each calendar month). This 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 family including senior journalists, former players, and broadcasters, and some members of the ICC Hall of Fame. (ANI)

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