Photo Credit: ICC
- Australia’s World Cup winning duo Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell shortlisted alongside India’s bowling maestro Mohammed Shami
- Women’s shortlist contains Bangladesh teammates Nahida Akter and Fargana Hoque, plus Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal
- More about the ICC Player of the Month awards is available here
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today named the shortlists of contenders in line for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards from November’s international contests.
The ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist features two of Australia’s key performers as they secured their sixth Men’s Cricket World Cup crown, and one of India’s record-breaking strike bowlers.
Travis Head wrote himself into World Cup legend during November courtesy of two match-winning performances in the semi-final and final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to earn his first nomination since June. Similarly, Glenn Maxwell grabbed the headlines with an unforgettable innings to seal qualification through to the knockout stages. Completing the lineup of nominees is India’s Mohammed Shami, whose inspired bowling performances saw India blitz their opponents on the way to the final.
Three figures from the see-saw battle between Bangladesh and Pakistan comprise the shortlist for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for November.
Bangladesh left arm spinner Nahida Akter celebrates her second successive nomination for the Women’s Player of the Month after more wicket-taking heroics in her side’s ODI series triumph against Pakistan. Compatriot Fargana Hoque joins her on the shortlist after starring with the bat, notching valuable runs in the second and third encounters. The final name on the list is Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal, nominated for the first time thanks to her economical spells and an impressive performance in the first match.
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 November:
Travis Head (AUS)
Head is nominated for the Men’s Player of the Month for the first time since his match-winning contributions helped Australia clinch the ICC World Test Championship Final in June. A similar story unfolded in India, culminating in two Player of the Match performances in the knockout stages. South Africa were thwarted by Head’s brilliance with bat and ball in the semi-final in Kolkata; the spinner taking the key wickets of Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen before top scoring with 62 in 48 balls in the thrilling chase. His crowning glory however came in Ahmedabad. Staring at 241 for victory, Head hit a sparkling 137 in 120 balls to see his side home at a canter amid jubilant celebrations.
Glenn Maxwell (AUS)
The Australian veteran is shortlisted for the first time after a prolific November, which included arguably one of the great World Cup performances against Afghanistan in Mumbai. Chasing down 292 for victory after being 91 for seven, Maxwell smashed 31 boundaries in his unbeaten 201 to seal Australia’s safe passage to the knockout stages. Fast forward to the final, and Maxwell again made key contributions, bowling a disciplined spell and removing the threat of Rohit Sharma before hitting the winning runs. Not done there, Maxwell also starred in the subsequent T20I matches against India, hitting 104 not out in 48 balls in the third encounter in Guwahati.
Mohammed Shami (IND)
Shami topped the wicket-taking charts at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, and led India’s bowling attack in fine fashion with a number of scintillating displays during the month. He started November with a Player of the Match performance against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, tearing through their batting lineup with sterling figures of five for 18. His highlight came in the semi-final victory over New Zealand though, where the pacer took seven wickets for 57 runs, booking the home team’s ticket to the Final. During the calendar month, Shami took 15 wickets at a remarkable average of 12.06.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for November:
Nahida Akter (BAN)
Akter is named on the shortlist for the second successive month after her performances guided Bangladesh to a 2-1 victory over Pakistan in Mirpur. Nominated in October for her T20I endeavours, this time she conquered in ODIs – Akter winning the Player of the Series award with seven wickets across the three matchups at an average of 14.14, taking three for 30 in the first match and three for 26 in the decisive final fixture.
Fargana Hoque (BAN)
With 110 runs in the victorious ODI series, Hoque earns her inaugural nomination for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month. The opener played a key role in levelling the series with a valuable 40 runs in the second outing in addition to a catch and a run out in the field as Bangladesh won in the Super Over. The series was won when Hoque top-scored in the third match with a controlled score of 62 to chase down the target and seal the triumph.
Sadia Iqbal (PAK)
The left-arm spinner was among the wickets once more during Pakistan’s visit to Bangladesh. Despite falling short of series victory, Iqbal impressed with economical wicket taking spells in the early exchanges. The first match was a particular highlight for the 28-year-old, her nine overs going for 13 runs with four wickets falling. This Player of the Match display was followed by another two wicket-haul, and Iqbal ended the month with six wickets at 12.50 and an economy rate of 2.58.
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 October 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.
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.
