Australia star named as ICC's Player of the Month for December after stunning performance in The Ashes

Australia seamer Mitchell Starc was named as the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Player of the Month for December following his magnificent performance with the ball in The Ashes. The left-arm seamer racked up a total of 31 wickets in the five-match series and was one of the Baggy Greens' top performers as they recorded a 4-1 win.

Starc beats Greaves and Duffy for the award

Starc beat two other candidates to claim the prestigious reward, including West Indies' Justin Greaves and New Zealand's Jacob Duffy. New Zealand and West Indies had faced-off in a three-match Test series in December and Greaves had scored maiden double-hundred in the first Test while Duffy had taken a total of 25 scalps in the assignment.

Starc remarked that it was an honour for him to win the Player of the Month award and also reflecting on winning the Ashes series in front of the home crowd.

“It’s an honour to be named the ICC Player of the Month, and even more special that it came on the back of such a successful home Ashes. To have played a part in winning such an iconic series in front of our home crowd is something we will all relish for a long time,” Starc told ICC.

“As a team we’ve had some outstanding performances in the last few years. The focus now is on building that momentum towards a place in next year’s ICC World Test Championship Final,” he added.

Starc's incredible display in The Ashes

Starc began the series in style and racked up a total of 10 wickets, icnluding career-best figures of 7/58 in the first innings. He then took eight scalps more in the second Test before dismissing four batters each in the third and fourth match respectively. The 35-year-old finished the assignment on a high and took five wickets in the fifth and final Test.

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With Josh Hazlewood out of the series due to injury and Pat Cummins only featuiring in one Test, Starc took the responsibility on his shoulders and delivered big time with the ball. He played a key role in Australia retaining the Ashes that too in comprehensive fashion.