Dubai: Fast-growing Indian batter Shreyas Iyer was named ICC ‘Men’s Player of the Month’ for February on Monday, while New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr took the women’s honors.
Iyer earned the award for his brilliant white ball exploits during the home series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka respectively last month.
He pipped Vriitya Aravind from UAE and Dipendra Singh Airee from Nepal to take the credit.
The right-hander hit a well-made, match-winning 80 in the third ODI against the West Indies in Ahmedabad and followed it up with a solid 16-ball 25 in the closing game of the ensuing three-game T20I series.
He was even better in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, collecting 204 runs without being fired in three innings with a very impressive strike rate of 174.36.
He registered scores of 57*(28), 74*(44) and 73*(45) in three games, while hitting 20 fours and seven sixes in a Player of the Series appearance.
“Throughout the month, Shreyas showed tremendous consistency and control,” noted former Sri Lankan cricketer and voting member Russell Arnold.
“He dominated the opposing bowlers and proved very difficult to bowl, scoring runs all over the wicket and attacking the bowlers at the right times. What really struck me was his composure as he fights for a permanent place in the India lineup. †
The 27-year-old has also carried his form into the current month, with a superb 92 in the first innings of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka in Bangalore.
Kerr, the 21-year-old New Zealand all-rounder, was named the Women’s POTM for her superior consistency with both bat and ball in the home game against India.
Kerr was chosen over fellow nominees, Indian captain Mithali Raj and all-rounder Deepti Sharma for the award. The native Wellington is already hailed as one of the best female cricketers of modern times.
After scoring 17 and returning 2/25 in New Zealand’s 18 run win in the lone T20I, Kerr showed exemplary skills during the ODI leg to further establish himself as a world class cricketer.
She finished the top scorer in the ODI series with 353 runs at a staggering average of 117.67, while taking seven wickets with an economy of 5.78.
She was named Player of the Match in the second and fourth ODI respectively, her standout performance came in the first in which she returned 1/43 with the ball before anchoring a thrilling 271-run chase with a superb unbeaten 119.
“Amelia Kerr is growing in her role as a true all-rounder on the New Zealand team,” said Isobel Joyce, the former Ireland Women cricketer and a voting member of the panel.
“She has been a world-class leg spinner for a number of years, but now her batting adds even more value to her place on the team and makes her one of the best cricketers in the world.”
Kerr is an integral part of the White Ferns lineup in the ongoing World Cup, having already scored 111 runs and five wickets from four games to date.
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