August’s ICC Player of the Month awardees are Raza and McGrath.
August’s ICC Player of the Month awardees are Raza and McGrath. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for August 2022. They are Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Australia’s Tahlia McGrath. Both Raza and McGrath had great international performances in August.
Raza is the ICC Men’s Player of the Month because he had a great run of scores. This happened in two ODI series against Bangladesh and India in Harare. During the historic 2-1 series win over Bangladesh, the all-rounder scored two beautiful unbeaten centuries. He scored 135 not out and 117 not out. Both times, his team won in dramatic fashion when chasing big goals. Later in the month, he played India and scored another memorable century. But unfortunately, they lost that game.
Nevertheless, this continued his amazing form from all of 2022. In addition, Raza showed how dangerous he could be with his bowling in the shorter format. He took seven wickets during the month.
Raza is the first Zimbabwean international to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award. He beat out leading all-rounders Mitchell Santner of New Zealand and England’s Ben Stokes. They were also great during a fascinating month of men’s cricket.
Raza’s reaction
Reacting to being anointed the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for August, Raza commented: “I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award from the ICC. It’s even more humbling being the first Zimbabwean to ever win the award.”
“I would like to thank everybody who has been in the changing room with me over the past three to four months, namely the technical staff and the players. Without them this would not have been possible. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans in Zimbabwe and overseas for all your prayers and all your wishes, they are well received and I’m forever grateful.”
JP Duminy’s take
Former South Africa international and ICC Player of the Month voting panel member JP Duminy said: “Sikandar has really blossomed into a fine all-rounder, and more importantly has shown supreme consistency against some of the top teams in the world. It’s exciting to see what comes next for him.”
Tahlia McGrath – The Woman Triumphant
Tahlia McGrath is the latest Australian star to win the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award. She did a lot to help her country win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. So she is the latest to get this honor. Following in the footsteps of Alyssa Healy, who won the award in April, McGrath scored 114 runs at an average of 57. She also took five wickets at an average of 13.40 during the month. This shows how important she was in helping her country win yet another game. However, in a series of strong performances, McGrath’s best was when her team beat Pakistan. She scored 78 runs without getting out. Also, her three wickets and a run-out helped her team stay unbeaten on its way to victory.
On triumphing the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for August, McGrath commented: “I’m honoured to have been named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for August given there are so many great players who are at the top of their game at the moment.”
“I’m loving being back in the Australian team and being part of some really special moments, including making history as the first women’s team to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal.”
Along with her team’s success at the Commonwealth Games, McGrath had a great month. She moved up to 12th place in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings for all-rounders. This was a career-high for her.
Daren Ganga’s words
Former West Indies international and member of the voting panel Daren Ganga added: “McGrath is one of the most genuine all-rounders in the women’s game. Her skill to swing the ball with consistent control matched with her batting ability all present remarkable value added to Australia. She is only 26 years of age and has many more contributions and successes to enjoy in her country’s colours.”