Dubai. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan have won the ICC (International Cricket Council) player of the month awards in the women’s and men’s categories respectively for September. Harmanpreet was given this award for her outstanding performance in the ODI series in England. She beat her teammate and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana in the race for the prize.
After winning the award, Harmanpreet said that being nominated for the award is a big deal and it is a great feeling to win it. Feels good to be the winner after being nominated along with Smriti and Nigaar. He said that I have always taken pride in representing my country and winning the historic ODI series in England will be one of the great achievements of my career.
The month of September was memorable for Harmanpreet. India took a 3-0 clean sweep in the ODI series against England under his leadership. India thus won the first series in ODIs in England since 1999. He scored 221 runs in three matches. He scored an unbeaten 74 in the first ODI, followed by 143 off 111 balls in the second ODI.
In the men’s section, Rizwan beat India’s left-arm spinner Axar Patel and Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in the race for the prize. Rizwan also showed great form in September. Rizwan said that such achievements boost your morale. I am happy with my performance and want to continue the momentum in Australia as well. I would like to dedicate this award to the people of Pakistan who are affected by floods and climate change.
