Jayasuriya nominated for ICC Player of the Month award

The International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed the international stars recognised for their outstanding performances in April as the shortlists for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month Awards were announced.

The nominees for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month encapsulate another dramatic period of international cricket, while the candidates in line for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award acknowledge some of the top talent emerging onto the global stage.

Among the players honoured on the ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist is Mark Chapman of New Zealand, nominated for the very first time following his T20I heroics in the recently drawn series in Pakistan. Sri Lankan spinner Prabath Jayasuriya will be hoping to win his second Player of the Month prize thanks to a prolific month of wicket-taking in his side’s Test series victory against Ireland. The final candidate is Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman, who earns his first nomination since April 2021 for excelling in the ODI series against New Zealand with two dazzling match-winning centuries.

Jayasuriya clinched the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award back in July 2022 for his outstanding displays with the spinning ball in the Test arena, and this month sees him nominated once more for a similar feat. The left-armer took ten wickets in the first Test against Ireland at Galle, including seven for 52 in the first innings as the hosts won convincingly. The second Test was equally as decisive for Jayasuriya, with the spinner taking seven wickets across both innings, including another five-wicket haul. These exploits helped Jayasuriya become the fastest spinner to reach 50 Test wickets in the history of the game during the course of the second innings, a record achieved in just seven Tests.

The ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominees comprise top performers from bilateral series in April, all nominated for the very first time. Thailand’s Naruemol Chaiwai produced a string of fine batting displays as her side recorded a landmark ODI series victory over Zimbabwe. Kavisha Egodage of the UAE enjoyed a prolonged spell of high scores across eight T20I matches during the month. Joining them on the shortlist is Kelis Ndhlovu of Zimbabwe, identified for her wicket-taking threat in ODI and T20I matches in April.

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.