Photo Credit: ICC
- Men’s Player of the Month shortlist features stars from across multiple formats; UAE’s Asif Khan, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson
- An all-Associate lineup of Henriette Ishimwe of Rwanda, Sibona Jimmy and Ravini Oa (both PNG) make up the Women’s shortlist
- More about the ICC Player of the Month awards is available here
The International Cricket Council has today announced the names on the shortlist for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards for March 2023, once more celebrating the outstanding performers on the international stage from the previous month of action across the full range of cricket formats.
This month’s nominees stem from the intensifying battle to secure a spot at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup later this year, standout players from the ICC World Test Championship and a host of bilateral showdowns in which Associate Women’s teams have taken centre stage following the conclusion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.
The Men’s shortlist features two first-time nominees in UAE’s Asif Khan – who excelled in his country’s Cricket World Cup League 2 outings home and away, and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson – whose brilliance helped his side secure a thrilling 2-0 series whitewash over Sri Lanka on home soil. Joining them is a previous winner of the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, who won the award back in July 2021 and is shortlisted here following a string of outstanding displays in his side’s recent short format successes against touring England and Ireland sides.
The contenders for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for March comprises an all-Associate Member cast. Rwanda’s 19-year-old Henriette Ishimwe made her international debut at the tender age of 15 and has played the role of one of the team’s most reliable all-rounders ever since. Excelling in the Nigeria Cricket Federation’s Women’s T20I Tournament in March, she earns her first nomination for the award alongside PNG’s impressive duo Sibona Jimmy and Ravini Oa, whose brilliance inspired their side’s unbeaten run to win the Pacific Island Women’s Challenge in Fiji.
ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for January:
Asif Khan (UAE)
In the nine One Day Internationals (ODIs) he has played in the period under review, Khan has smashed 403 runs at an average of 57.57 for the UAE. His performances include scores of 72 and 82 against Nepal in Dubai and an unbeaten 101 from just 42 deliveries against the same opposition in Kirtipur. His remarkable knock featured an incredible 11 sixes and four boundaries. He followed this impressive performance with another century at the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off tournament in Namibia where he posted 103 in 84 deliveries against the USA, including eight fours and two sixes. Khan’s contributions proved crucial, as UAE secured their qualification through the Play-Off to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier which will take place in Zimbabwe in June and July this year.
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
The Bangladesh talisman enjoyed a prolific March, utilizing the all-round talents which have him sitting as the number one all-rounder in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings with impressive finesse. It has been a busy time for Shakib, with 12 international fixtures played in the period under review. In six ODIs, he hit 251 runs at an average of 50.20 and returned seven wickets at an average of 23.85. Among his six other appearances in the T20I format, he contributed 102 runs to his team’s cause at a strike rate of 134.21, supplemented with eight wickets. These efforts contributed to famous T20I series wins against England and Ireland, including a stunning five-wicket haul (five for 22) in the latter.
Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
The Black Caps’ premier batter was in epic form in his side’s ICC World Test Championship 2-0 series victory against Sri Lanka last month. The first Test saw Williamson inspire his side’s dramatic last-ball victory in Christchurch thanks to an unforgettable 121 not out on the final day, before his mammoth 215 in Wellington – notably in a 363-run partnership with Henry Nicholls – secured a more comfortable innings victory. His nomination means he could be the first New Zealander to win the award since Devon Conway won following similar WTC exploits in June 2021, in a month where his combined 337 runs also saw him rise four places to second place in the batting list of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for March:
Henriette Ishimwe (Rwanda)
A core member of the Rwanda senior women’s team, she made use of the game time and experience gained during the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa earlier this year in her appearances for the senior women’s team during the Nigeria Cricket Federation’s Women’s T20I Tournament featuring Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Ghana and the hosts, Nigeria. She took four wicket for 4 runs against Ghana and five for six against Cameroon to wrap up her nine-wicket tournament haul, which also featured scores of 32 and 43 with the bat against the same teams.
Sibona Jimmy (PNG)
Jimmy produced an all-round performance in the Pacific Island Women’s Cricket Challenge final match against Vanuatu, featuring as both the leading run scorer with 37 off 38 deliveries, and being the standout threat with the ball, claiming three wickets for seven runs and helping set up her side’s 100-run victory. Across the five matches she played in the tournament, she contributed a total of 127 runs at strike rate of 118.69 and returned six wickets to earn herself a position in the Player of the Month shortlist.
Ravini Oa (PNG)
Oa bowled her way into this month’s shortlist in the same tournament, emerging as the leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets at an eye-catching economy rate of 3.18. Demonstrating outstanding consistency with the ball throughout her five matches, Oa’s bowling feats included three wickets for five runs against Samoa in her opening match, plus impressive hauls of two for 14 against Vanuatu, and two for nine against the same opposition in the final match to seal a convincing victory, which included a wicket with the first ball of the innings.
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 March 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: Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan 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 Mpumelelo Mbangwa; Others: Ajit Vijaykumar and Dirk Nannes.
Name of Author: ICC
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global governing body for cricket, founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference. Renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, it became the ICC in 1987. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, the ICC has 108 member nations.
