Finance
Shubman Gill and Mohammad Siraj of India, who had outstanding series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, as well as Black Caps opener Devon Conway, have been named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for January 2023.
The shortlist was announced following an action-packed month of cricket that included a slew of bilateral matches around the world.
The ICC Player of the Month awards recognize outstanding international cricketers from the previous calendar month, and the January 2023 lineups feature a mix of established international performers and exciting new talent hoping to win the awards.
The talented batter Gill, who was named to the men’s Player of the Month shortlist, dazzled with recent ODI performances against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, scoring two centuries and one double-century.
Gill received his first nomination for the award after a stellar month, particularly in ODI cricket. During that time, he scored 567 ODI runs at an astounding average of 113.40. His entertaining and powerful strokeplay allowed him to hit three figures three times. In a month filled with high points.
His best performance during this time was a dazzling 208 not out in the series opener against New Zealand in Hyderabad, coming in just 149 balls with 28 boundaries. In addition to his ODI success, Gill scored 76 runs in T20Is cricket during the month.
Mohammed Siraj continues to climb the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, reaching the top of the bowlers’ list in January after back-to-back four-wicket hauls against the same opposition.
Siraj’s ascension to the top of the ICC Men’s One-Day International bowler rankings has been nothing short of meteoric.
Siraj, who had only played one ODI before last year, has been a consistent performer in the past year, earning him a spot in the recently announced ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2022, and now finds himself at the top of the rankings after another excellent month.
Siraj appeared in five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in January, taking 14 wickets at a remarkable average of 10.57, including back-to-back four-wicket hauls against the two touring sides.
Devon Conway of New Zealand completes the men’s January shortlist, having begun the month with a Test century in Pakistan and ended it with another three-figure score, this time in ODIs in India.
Conway has become a multi-format talisman for New Zealand in recent years, and he began in the same manner in 2023. The opener, who was named ICC Men’s Player of the Month in June 2021, scored nearly 500 runs during the period, including centuries in Test and ODI cricket against formidable opposition.
Conway’s first and second centuries of the month came in Karachi, with a fine 122 not out in the dramatic second Test against Pakistan, followed by a gritty 101 in a convincing ODI win on a tricky pitch. The opener then carried this form into the series against India, where he finished the month with a brisk 138 from 100 balls against an impressive India bowling attack.
Source:OCN
