Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill nominated for ICC Men’s Player of the Month award

The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the latest list of players who have been nominated for the men’s and women’s Player of the Month awards for September. Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj made the cut from the Indian team, while England’s Dawid Malan was the only name on the list. 

Siraj enjoyed a rip-roaring outing in this year’s Asia Cup, where he razed through the Sri Lankan top-order with an incredible spell of 6/21 from seven overs. Not just did Siraj impress in the final, but his overall consistency has been sensational, a testament to his No.1 ranking among ODI bowlers. 

Gill, who was ruled out of India’s World Cup 2023 opener and will miss out on India’s clash against Afghanistan due to illness, was also in some supreme form in September. He registered knocks of 67* against Nepal, 58 against Pakistan in the Super Four fixture while smashing 121 against Bangladesh, even though that was in a lost cause in the recently concluded Asia Cup.

The star opener did not stop there, as he followed it up with scores of 74 and 104 against Australia in the 3-match series that saw India clinch an unassailable 2-0 lead heading into the final ODI. Going by these numbers, it’s no surprise that Gill was an automatic choice for the September honours. 

Dawid Malan, who powered his way to a sensational 140 against Bangladesh that was preceded by a brilliant 127 against New Zealand at Lord’s earlier in September also made the list, making for three strong contenders as part of the ICC nominations.