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India’s bowler Jasprit Bumrah and Australia’s all-rounder Annabel Sutherland were awarded the ICC Women’s and Men’s Players of the Month for December, respectively, on Tuesday.
In a thrilling Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, top-ranked Test bowler Bumrah put up a fierce fight against Australia’s comeback with devastating bowling spells, while Sutherland was in brilliant form in Australia’s One-Day International matches against India and New Zealand, winning Player of the Series twice for her all-around efforts.
“Both players were crowned following a vote conducted among global fans registered at ICC’s official website and a specialist panel comprising ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and media representatives,” ICC said in a release.
World Test Championship wicket-takers Pat Cummins and Dane Paterson, who were also nominees, help Bumrah win his second ICC Men’s Player of the Month award. In the global voting, Sutherland defeats Smriti Mandhana and Nonkululeko Mlaba to win her second ICC Women’s Player of the Month award.
With further spectacular performances in Australia, Bumrah’s incredible year on the international scene came to an end. He took 22 wickets at an average of 14.22 in the three Test matches in December.
The seamer, who initially stood out in Adelaide with four for 61, led India’s resistance as the home team gained confidence and rallied from a 1-0 deficit to take the series lead. After that, they traveled to Brisbane, where Bumrah destroyed the Australian batting order in the opening inning, scoring six for 76 in a fearsome spell in the first innings and three for 18 in the second.
Another nine-wicket return in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne included a spell of five for 57 in the second innings, upon which the 31-year-old set a new record for the highest rating points tally by any Indian bowler in history. Bumrah will be hoping for continued success in the coming weeks, where he is nominated for two of the top honours in the ICC Awards 2024 – the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year Award and the coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.
“I am thrilled to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for December. It is always humbling to be chosen for individual accolades, and it is always nice to be recognized for your efforts,” Bumrah, said. “The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was one of the most closely-fought contests ever, and it was an honour for me to go out there and perform for my country,” he said.
Sutherland, the ICC Women’s Player of the Month, finished a historic year by dominating with the bat and ball in Australia’s most recent victories over India and New Zealand. She scored 269 runs at 67.25 and claimed nine wickets in her five appearances.
In a decisive victory against India in the second ODI in Brisbane, Sutherland started with four for 39. She then followed up with a powerful batting display, hitting 110 in 98 balls in the final match to win Player of the Series.
Another demonstration of batting ability took place in the ensuing series against New Zealand across the Tasman Sea, where the 23-year-old opened with a commanding 105 runs in just 81 balls (DLS).
She scored an additional 42 runs and claimed three wickets in the second match, which helped Australia win back-to-back ODI series sweeps and earn Sutherland Player of the Series for the second time in a row.
In addition, the all-round player is a candidate for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year category at the 2024 ICC Awards.
“December was a great month for us and it was nice to be able to contribute to the team’s success. We’ve got great depth within the squad so to be able to make the most of the opportunities to spend some time out in the middle was really pleasing,” Sutherland said. “Those ODIs were really important for us ahead of the upcoming Women’s Cricket World Cup, and it was great to be able to win both series against India and New Zealand,” she added.
Source: IANS
