Three Indian cricketers nominated for ICC Player of the Month for September 2022 award

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday revealed the nominees for the ICC Player of the Month awards for September 2022. Three Indian players have been nominated for the prestigious accolade in men's and women's categories combined. Axar Patel, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana are the Indian cricketers who have been picked as nominees for the ICC monthly awards.

Axar has been nominated for the men's Player of the Month following a series of impressive and restrictive bowling displays against Australia and South Africa. Claiming a total of nine wickets at an average of 11.44 and with a superb economy rate of just 5.72, he most notably excelled in the home series against Australia, where he took three for 17 in Mohali, two for 13 in Nagpur, and three for 33 in Hyderabad to underline his significant credentials as a key asset for India in the shorter format.

Kaur & Mandhana shortlisted for first time

Skipper Kaur and vice-captain Mandhana have been shortlisted for the very first time and if one of them goes on to win, then they will become the first ever Indian player to win the Women's Player of the Month award, thanks to stellar performances in both ODI and T20I series in England.

Mandhana, on the other hand, scored consistently across both white-ball series, highlighted by her unbeaten 79 during the first T20I in Derby and 91 in the first ODI in Canterbury – both match-winning contributions. Mandhana also ended the month averaging over 50 in both formats, and with a strike rate of 137 in the T20Is, underlining the scale of her successes during the month.

Scoring 221 runs across the three matches, Kaur guided her side over the finishing line in the first match with a controlled 74 not out, before she clinched the series for her team in style in the second match, striking an unbeaten 143 to seal a historic first ODI series victory for her side in England since 1999.

While Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan and Australia's Cameron Green are the other two players nominated in the men's category, Bangladesh's Nigar Sultana is the third nominee in the women's category. 

(Image: BCCI, With inputs from PTI)