IND vs PAK: Shaheen Afridi included as ICC announces Player of the Month nominees for May 2024

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday (7th June) announced the nominees for the Player of the Month for May 2024. Premier Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi has been nominated for the award along with West Indies’ Gudakesh Motie and Ireland’s Lorcan Tucker.

Shaheen Afridi was nominated for his sensational performances with the ball in the T20I series against Ireland and England. The fast bowler had brilliant outings with the ball in both the series and chipped in for his team at crucial junctures.

Shaheen Afridi during May picked 10 wickets at an average of 14.5 in May. His best came with the new ball as he is lethal. He registered figures of 3/14 in the second game against Ireland and also won the Player of the Match. He also registered 3/36 against England in the second T20I in Birmingham.

On the other hand, Gudakesh Motie was one of the main reasons why West Indies registered a 3-0 series win over South Africa last month. He was exceptional with the ball in all three games of the series and made the batters look clueless against his spin bowling.

Gudakesh Motie picked three wickets in the first game and then followed it up with another three-wicket haul in the second game, returning with the figures of 3/22. In the last match of the series, he chipped in with 2 wickets and finished with eight wickets in the series at an average of 8.5.

Ireland’s wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker was on top of his game with the bat during May. He showed incredible consistency during the month and made sure that he helped his team win some of the games with his sensational batting.

Lorcan Tucker, who also captained Ireland, slammed a half-century against Pakistan in the second T20I and then followed it up with a 41-ball 73, including 13 fours and a six, in the last T20I against Pakistan. Overall in six innings in May, he scored 227 runs at an average of 37.83.

ICC announces nominees for the Women's Player of the Month for May

Apart from naming nominees for the Player of the Month for May for men, the International Cricket Council also announced the same for the women’s as well. Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce, and England’s Sophie Ecclestone have been nominated.

Chamari Athapaththu had a brilliant month of May as she scored 151 runs at an average of 37.75. Apart from this, he was equally important for her team with the ball. She picked 6 wickets at an average of 9.16 in the games that he played in the month.

Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce also played a vital role for her team with the bat as well as the ball. She scored crucial runs and also picked wickets as well, helping her team qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup. Sophie Ecclestone was decent in the T20I series against Pakistan as she scored 28 runs in the three games and picked five wickets at merely 9.4. In the ODIs, she bagged 6 wickets in two games.