ICC Men's Player of the Month nominations for August announced
There were no surprises among the men’s nominees, featuring Joe Root, the England captain, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi and his India counterpart Jasprit Bumrah.
Afridi, in two Tests against West Indies in August, promised wickets every time he was thrown the ball. He ended the series with 18 wickets, taking 10 wickets in the second Test and helped Pakistan secure a series-levelling 109-run victory. In taking ten wickets in the Test, Afridi became the fourth-youngest paceman from Pakistan to achieve the feat, after Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Mohammad Zahid.
India’s Bumrah was equally exceptional with his fast bowling against England. He took nine wickets in the first Test, but received just as many plaudits for his role with the bat in the second Test at Lord’s, when he contributed to an 89-run ninth-wicket partnership with Mohammad Shami that proved pivotal to India’s win.
England went on to level the series in the third Test, mostly thanks to captain Root, who has plundered runs at will. He scored centuries in each of the three Tests against India in August, a purple patch that led him to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Test batting rankings.
Fans can vote for their favourite players by heading here – voting will close on Saturday, 11 September, and the winners will be announced on Monday.