The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the men’s and women’s shortlists for the ICC Player of the Month awards, with players from Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies confirmed to be in the running.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj, West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales and Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage have been shortlisted for the men’s award while those making it to the shortlist for the women’s award are Sri Lanka batter Harshitha Samarawickrama, Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast and Ireland opener Gaby Lewis.
ICC Men’s Player of the Month nominees for August:
Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)
Maharaj, who is in line for a second Player of the Month award after having won earlier in April 2022, was the Player of the Series in the two ICC World Test Championship matches against the West Indies with 13 wickets. He grabbed four wickets in each innings of the drawn Test in Port of Spain, which included three of the top four batters in the first innings and four of the top five in the second. He chipped in five scalps in the second Test in Guyana that his side won by 40 runs.
Jayden Seales (West Indies)
West Indies’ new-ball bowler Seales is in the shortlist after finishing with 12 wickets in the series against South Africa including nine in Guyana that helped him attain a career-best 13th position in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings and become the top-ranked bowler in the format from the West Indies.
Dunith Wellalage (Sri Lanka)
Wellalage made it to the men’s shortlist for his performances in ODIs. The left-handed all-rounder was Player of the Series in his side’s 2-0 series win over India with scores of 67 not out, 39 and two. He also finished with seven wickets including a haul of five for 27 in the third match.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominees for August:
Harshitha Samarawickrama (Sri Lanka)
Samarawickrama carried her form from the Asia Cup into the tour of Ireland. The stylish left-hander amassed 151 runs in the two T20Is played in Dublin at a strike rate of 169.66 and 172 in three ODIs played in Belfast at a strike rate of 82.69. She smashed a match-winning 86 not out off 45 balls in the first T20I and became only the third Sri Lanka woman to register a century in ODIs with a knock of 105 in the second ODI.
Orla Prendergast (Ireland)
The 22-year-old Prendergast was the leading run-scorer for Ireland as they defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in an ODI series. She had a superb outing in the first ODI, blazing a 122 not out off 107 deliveries after grabbing three for 25 and taking two catches to be named the Player of the Match. She also chipped in with scores of 29 and 38 in the two T20Is.
Gaby Lewis (Ireland)
Lewis scored 158 runs in two T20Is at a strike rate of 146.29 which included a knock of 119 in the second match, the highest individual score for Ireland in the format. She scored nine in the first ODI but a quad injury ruled her out for the remaining two matches of the series.
The ICC Player of the Month Voting Process: The three nominees for either category are shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC can vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on ICC’s digital channels.
Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month:
Afghanistan: Javed Hamim; Australia: Daniel Cherny and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Mazhar Uddin and Md Ariful Islam Roney; England: Chris Stocks and Lydia Greenway; Ireland: Ger Siggins and Clare Shillington; India: S Gomesh and Shivani Gupta; New Zealand: Craig Cumming; Pakistan: Sawera Pasha and Sana Mir; South Africa: Zaahier Adams and Ashwell Prince; Sri Lanka: Azzam Ameen and Farveez Maharoof; West Indies: Daren Ganga and Stacy Ann King; Zimbabwe: Lawrence Trusida and Grant Flower; Others: Darren Allan Kyeyune and Kyle Coetzer.
Threshmstr
At no other time was the unluckiness of the Nelson so dreaded as during a match between Australia and South Africa. The time was 11:11 and South Africa needed 111 runs to beat Australia. The date was November 11, 2011. The umpire and most of the crowd performed the David Shepherd leg raise for a minute as the scoreboard read: 11:11, 11/11/11. South Africa bested Australia by 8 wickets.
Crumb Cake
Rugby was introduced to South Africa by British soldiers garrisoned in Cape Town in 1875.