ICC Player of the Month (August): Babar claims third honor
What's the story
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam clinched his third ICC Player of the Month award this year as he won the award for the month of August. The experienced batter continued to impress with his exceptional performances, and therefore, he owns the top spot in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings. He won the award, beating Shadab Khan and West Indies dasher Nicholas Pooran.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Player-of-the-Month award is given to male and female cricketers with superlative performances in international cricket in a particular month. Three nominations are announced for both categories. The International Cricket Council has been distributing this award since the start of 2021. The voting panel features renowned journalists and former cricketers. The general public has 10% of the stakes in voting.
Babar Azam
A stellar month for Babar
The number one ODI batter was in exceptional form last month. Babar missed out in the first ODI against Afghanistan before he slammed two consecutive fifties as Pakistan won both the clashes. Babar kick-started his 2023 Asia Cup campaign with a stunning 151 off 131 deliveries against Nepal. However, he scored 17 and 10 against Bangladesh and India, respectively.
Centuries
Fastest to 19 ODI centuries
Babar scripted history with his 151 against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup as he slammed his 19th ODI century. He became the fastest cricketer to slam 19 ODI centuries. Babar reached the landmark in 102 innings, breaking the previous record of South African legend Hashim Amla, who reached the milestone in 104 innings. Babar was the fastest to 18 ODI centuries as well.
Babar Azam
Babar slammed his 31st international century
The one against Nepal marked Babar's 31st international ton as he matched the tally of legends Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar. Among Pakistani batters, Babar is only behind Younis Khan (41), Mohammad Yousuf (39), and Inzamam-ul-Haq (35) in terms of centuries. Overall, Babar has amassed 5,380 runs in 107 ODI at an impressive average of 58.47. Besides 19 hundreds, he has smoked 28 fifties.
Arlene Kelly
Who won the ICC Women's Player of the Month award?
Ireland seamer Arlene Kelly won the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for August. Kelly bagged the award ahead of Netherlands' Iris Zwilling and Malaysia's Ainah Hamizah Hashim. She was superb in the three-match T20I series against the Netherlands, scalping 10 wickets. Her average of 4.30 is the fourth-best in a bilateral series where a bowler has taken 10-plus wickets in women's T20Is.