ICC announces Player of the Month nominations for May 2022

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has shortlisted three Asian cricketers for the Men’s Player of the Month award for May 2022. They include senior Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews, veteran Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim, and Lankan bowler Asitha Fernando respectively.

The trio has succeeded in finding a special mention in the elite monthly performance list courtesy of their respective individual performances in the month gone by where both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had competed in a two-match Test series. Even though the first Test ended in a stalemate, the Lankans came out on top in the decider comprehensively by 10 wickets to seal the series 1-0.

Shortlisted players for ICC Player of the Month

Angelo Mathews:

The seasoned all-rounder Angelo Mathews was consistent with the bat in the Bangladesh Test series. He finished the two-match series as the highest-run getter having amassed 344 runs including two centuries. Mathews agonizingly fell one short of a well-deserved double century after being dismissed for 199 in the Chattogram Test.

However, it was his unbeaten 145 in the second Test at Mirpur that stood out as it came in a winning cause. Sri Lanka were reeling at 164/4 in reply to Bangladesh’s first innings score of 365 and that is when Mathews was involved in two-century partnerships with Dhananjaya de Silva (102) and Dinesh Chandimal (199) that helped the Lankans post a mammoth 506.

Mushfiqur Rahim:

Mushfiqur Rahim finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the series and the highest run-getter for Bangladesh with 303 runs. It was the opening Test at Chattogram which was special for him as he became the first-ever Bangladeshi player to register 5,000 Test runs.

Apart from scoring two tons, Rahim was also involved in a record 272-run stand for the sixth wicket with batting sensation Litton Das after the hosts lost half their side for just 24 runs on the board in the first innings of the Mirpur Test match. The innings-saving partnership, however, did not turn out to be a match-winning one.

Asitha Fernando:

Emerging pace sensation Asitha Fernando has also found a mention on this list courtesy of some remarkable performances in the away Test series against Bangladesh last month. While Fernando took three wickets in the first Test, he followed it up with a brilliant spell in the second where he finished with 10 wickets in the contest.

Asitha Fernando finished with 13 wickets to his name, but more importantly, he also emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the ICC World Test Championship series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Nominees for Women’s Player of the Month

As far as the women’s cricketers are concerned Pakistan’s, Tuba Hasan, her captain Bismah Maroof and Jersey’s Trinity Smith have been shortlisted as Players of the Month. Tuba Hasan had a memorable T20I series against Sri Lanka as she finished as the highest wicket-taker of Pakistan and also bagged the Player of the Series award. More importantly, she took 3/8 on debut.

Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof played the finisher’s role to perfection in the Sri Lanka series as she finished with 65 runs in three matches and was also the highest run-getter of the tournament. 17-year-old Trinity Smith who had made her debut against France recently picked up a wicket on debut and scored an impressive 43-ball 59 against Spain in the quadrangular series that also involved Austria.