Dubai: England Test captain Ben Stokes, Zimbabwe’s all-rounder Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s left-arm spin all-rounder Mitchell Santner on Monday were nominated for ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for August 2022.
Raza becomes the first Zimbabwe player to be nominated since Sean Williams back in March 2021, thanks to a series of outstanding contributions with the bat in home series against Bangladesh and India.
Santner demonstrated his multi-format capabilities with bat and ball in August during his side’s away series against Netherlands and West Indies, while Stokes completes the lineup following his heroics in the second Test at Old Trafford in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) second Test which saw the hosts’ square three-match series against South Africa at 1-1.
Raza has enjoyed a sensational 2022 so far and continued his magnificent form in August during his side’s contests against Bangladesh and India at home. He was instrumental in claiming the ODI series victory for his side against Bangladesh, thanks to unbeaten scores of 135 and 117 which came during two superb run-chases.
Raza followed it up with a fine 115 against India in the final ODI in Harare albeit in a losing cause as Zimbabwe fell short by 13 runs. In addition to his batting feats, he took seven key wickets in the month, cementing his growing all-round credentials and seeing him rise to a career-high position of fourth in the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings.
Santner, known for his bowling prowess in the shorter formats, finds himself on the award’s shortlist for the first time after solid performances during his side’s recent tours of Netherlands and West Indies.
A fine 77 not out in the Netherlands saw his side claim victory in the second T20I before he was unleashed on the West Indies batters in the ODI and T20I series in the Caribbean. Bowling superbly throughout the tour, Santner finished the month having taken seven wickets at an average of 17 in T20Is, with a further four wickets across ODIs at an average of 21.
Following a humbling defeat in the first Test, Stokes produced another memorable performance to help his side level the series in the WTC battle against visiting South Africa. Amassing 143 runs throughout the month, Stokes claimed seven wickets including the prized scalps of Rassie van der Dussen, Keegan Petersen and Aiden Markram.
But his most notable contribution came with his commanding century at Old Trafford, securing a comfortable victory and ensuring the series is in the balance ahead of the final showdown at the Oval this week.
–IANS