Daily Times

LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for September 2022. Pakistan ace Mohammad Rizwan claimed the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award, while India’s inspirational captain Harmanpreet Kaur is named the recipient of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award. In a highly competitive field, Rizwan secured his first ever ICC Men’s Player of the Month crown after a remarkable spell of scoring throughout September, and overcame his fellow nominees Cameron Green (Australia) and Axar Patel (India) to the prize. The Pakistan star amassed a mammoth 553 runs from ten T20Is, covering performances in the Men’s Asia Cup and the subsequent home T20I series against a touring England side. With an eye-catching batting average of 69.12 during the month, the talismanic opener also registered seven half-centuries to illustrate why he sits atop the ICC Men’s T20I batter rankings. Rizwan will be a key figure for Pakistan heading into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in six days’ time, and he emphasised his importance during Pakistan’s surge to the Asia Cup final, registering three half-centuries in the latter stages of the tournament, including scores of 71 against India and 55 in the final against eventual winners Sri Lanka. He carried his impressive form into the series against England, notching four further half-centuries, the highlight being his unbeaten 88 in partnership with captain Babar Azam as his side claimed a ten-wicket victory in the second T20I chasing down an imposing target of 199. Reacting to claiming the latest ICC Men’s Player of the Month crown, Rizwan commented: “I would like to thank Almighty Allah and express my heartfelt delight to all that enabled me to achieve this award. I want to give my high appreciation to all my teammates as they made things easy for me. These achievements boost your confidence. I am happy with my performance and I would like to take this momentum forward in Australia.”