The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the nominees for the prestigious Player of the Month award for April 2025.
ICC announces nominees for Player of Month for April
The contenders for coveted award are Zimbabwe's talented fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, Bangladesh's accomplished all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and New Zealand's promising pacer Ben Sears.
Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani
Blessing Muzarabani produced a sensational performance with the ball throughout April. He was the standout bowler for Zimbabwe during their Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. His impactful performance in the first Test in Sylhet earned him the Player of the Match award as he consistently troubled the opposition batsmen.
In the first innings of that match, Blessing Muzarabani claimed three crucial wickets, conceding 50 runs. He followed this up with an even more impressive display in the second innings, bagging six wickets for 72 runs. His stellar bowling performance was instrumental in Zimbabwe securing a narrow three-wicket victory.
Throughout the month of April, Blessing Muzarabani emerged as Zimbabwe's leading wicket-taker in the Test series. Across the two matches, he picked up a total of ten wickets at an impressive average of 20.50, highlighting his significant contribution to his team's performance.
Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Alongside Blessing Muzarabani's stellar bowling, Mehidy Hasan Miraz also showcased exceptional form with the ball during the Test series against Zimbabwe. In both innings of a Test match, the talented all-rounder achieved the remarkable feat of taking five wickets. He registered figures of 5/52 in the first innings and followed it up with 5/50 in the second.
However, Mehidy Hasan Miraz truly shone in the second Test match, delivering an outstanding all-round performance with both bat and ball. Initially with the bat, he crafted a magnificent century, scoring a well-compiled innings of 162 balls in the first innings. He then continued his impressive showing with the ball.
In the second Test, Mehidy Hasan Miraz once again picked up a five-wicket haul, achieving figures of 5/32. His contributions were pivotal as Bangladesh secured a resounding victory by an innings and 106 runs in Chattogram, thereby drawing the Test series. Throughout April, Mehidy Hasan Miraz demonstrated his all-round capabilities by scoring 116 runs in the two Tests at a commendable average of 38.66, while also claiming an impressive 15 wickets at an outstanding average of just 11.86.
New Zealand's Ben Sears
Ben Sears also showcased his bowling prowess throughout April. He displayed excellent form with the ball during New Zealand's ODI series against Pakistan. The talented New Zealand pacer achieved the remarkable feat of taking back-to-back five-wicket hauls in the final two matches of the series, playing a crucial role in his team's clean sweep victory.
Having picked up figures of 5/59 and 5/34 in those final two ODIs, Ben Sears was deservedly named the Player of the Series. He finished the series with an impressive tally of 10 wickets at an outstanding average of just 9.30 and an economical rate of 5.07.
Nominees for the ICC Women's Player of the Month
Meanwhile, the nominees for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for April have also been announced, with Scotland's captain Kathryn Bryce, West Indies' skipper Hayley Matthews, and Pakistan's captain Fatima Sana vying for the honor. Kathryn Bryce delivered an exceptional all-round performance for Scotland in the World Cup Qualifiers. She emerged as the tournament's leading run-scorer, accumulating 293 runs at an impressive average of 73.25, which included a century and two half-centuries. Additionally, she also contributed with the ball, picking up six wickets. In the same tournament, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews also shone brightly with both her batting and bowling skills. As an opening batter, she scored 240 runs at a striking strike rate of 116.50, averaging a solid 60. Furthermore, she was also a significant contributor with the ball, bagging 13 wickets at an average of 15.84.
Pakistan's captain, Fatima Sana, grabbed the spotlight with her bowling performances in the World Cup Qualifiers. She finished as Pakistan's leading wicket-taker, claiming 12 dismissals while maintaining a remarkably frugal economy rate of 3.97. She also demonstrated her batting capabilities with a notable innings of 62 against Thailand.