Mushfiqur Rahim, Kathryn Bryce Voted As ICC Players Of The Month For May 2021

Bangladesh‘s wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim and Scotland all-rounder Kathryn Bryce have been declared as the ICC Player of the Month in the male and female category respectively. This award by the governing body started in January 2021, is an indicator to “recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket”.

Mushfiqur Rahim was the highest scorer in men’s international cricket in the month of May. He scored 237 runs, with a best of 125, in the gone by month in a Test and 3 ODIs against Sri Lanka.

Commenting on Rahim’s performance in May, VVS Laxman representing the ICC Voting Academy said:

“Even after 15 years at the highest level, Mushfiqur has not lost his appetite for run-making. He was at his imperious best in the one-day series at home against Sri Lanka, a picture of consistency with the highlight being 125 in the second match which helped his side secure a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

“What made his feat even more notable was that it was Bangladesh’s first-ever ODI series triumph against the 1996 World Cup champions. To shore up the middle order and don the wicket-keeping gloves speaks volumes of his fitness and skills.”

Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce wins ICC Player of the Month in women’s cricket:

Kathryn Bryce became the first player from Scotland ever, male or female, to make it into the top 10 of  ICC’s batting or bowling rankings. She jumped up nine places to be the No. 10 in the T20I rankings among batters after topping the run-scorers’ list from her side with 96 runs from four matches in the recent T20I series against Ireland.

In May, she took 5 wickets with an economy rate of 4.76 and moved up 35 spots to be ranked No. 31 among the bowlers. Consequently, Kathryn Bryce also rose ten spots to be the No. 3-ranked allrounder.

Speaking about Kathryn Bryce performance in May, Ramiz Raja representing the ICC Voting Academy said:

“Kathryn’s all-round game came through in a series that her team lost. She batted with flair and bowled well too and deserved to be the player of the month for May.” 

The previous winners of the ICC Player Of The Month: Rishabh Pant and Shabnim Ismail (January), Ravichandran Ashwin and Tammy Beaumont (February), Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Lizelle Lee (March), and Babar Azam and Alyssa Healy (April).

1/1 – 100s/50s ⚡
237 ODI runs ?

Presenting the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for May 2021 ?#ICCPOTM pic.twitter.com/bOn0aN0S37

— ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2021

Thanks to some fine, all-round performances against Ireland, here’s the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for May 2021 ⚡#ICCPOTM | @CricketScotland pic.twitter.com/fUIeNEnHbz

— ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2021

Also Read: IPL 2021: 5 Players Who Can Win The Player Of The Tournament Award This Season