Australia opener David Warner and West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews have been adjudged the ICC Players of the Month for November after their superb performances during the voting period.
Warner’s crucial efforts in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 helped him pip Pakistan opener Abid Ali and New Zealand seam bowler Tim Southee to grab the men’s award while Matthews’s all-round show in ODIs won her the women’s award ahead of left-arm spinners Anam Amin of Pakistan and Nahida Akter of Bangladesh.
Warner won the award on his maiden nomination following his Player of the Tournament show at the T20 World Cup, in which he smashed 53 in the final against New Zealand after 49 in the semifinal against Pakistan. He was also named Player of the Match in an earlier Super 12s match against the West Indies for a blistering 89 not out off 56 balls. Warner aggregated 209 runs at an average of 69.66 and a strike rate of 151.44 in four T20Is during the period.
Jury member Russel Arnold said about Warner: “David was back to his scintillating best during the T20 World Cup and his aggression at the top of the order was outstanding. His 209 runs at a strike rate of 151 in four innings simply tells the story. There was no recovering from the early onslaught by Warner and his stroke play was pleasing to the eye.”
Matthews won the award on her second nomination. She was earlier nominated in July along with captain Stafanie Taylor, who was the winner then. Matthews scored 141 runs and grabbed nine wickets at an average of 13.11 during the period. She starred in a series win over Pakistan, scoring 57 runs and taking three for 31 in the first match before a four for 26 runs in the second.
Jury member Irfan Pathan said about Matthews: “Hayley was the star, performing with both bat and ball. Her all-round performance was one of the reasons the West Indies won against Pakistan, and she deserves to be the women’s Player of the Month.”
The selection process for the monthly awards, which were instituted in January, combines votes cast by former players, prominent journalists and global cricket fans.
