Sidra Amin nominated for ICC Women’s Player of the Month award

DUBAI: Pakistan women’s cricket team opener Sidra Amin has been shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for September following her prolific run with the bat in the home ODI series against South Africa.

The 32-year-old batter was the leading run-scorer in the three-match series, amassing 293 runs at an astonishing average of 293. She struck back-to-back centuries, scoring 121 not out and 122 in the opening two matches before adding an unbeaten 50 in the third. Her consistency helped Pakistan stay competitive against a strong South African side.

Alongside Sidra, India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and South Africa’s Tazmin Brits are also in contention for the women’s award. Mandhana hit 308 runs in four ODIs against Australia, including a record 50-ball century, while Brits smashed 101 and 171 in consecutive matches against Pakistan to be named Player of the Series. In the men’s category, India’s Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav have been shortlisted along with Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett. Sharma was named Player of the Series in the Asia Cup after scoring 314 runs at a strike rate of 200, while Kuldeep topped the wicket charts with 17 scalps in the tournament.

Bennett, meanwhile, piled up 497 runs across nine T20Is, including three half-centuries and a hundred in the ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier. The winners will be decided through a combination of votes from the ICC Voting Academy—which includes journalists, broadcasters, former players, and Hall of Famers—and fans worldwide. The academy holds a 90 per cent share of the vote, while fan votes make up the remaining 10 per cent. Voting is open at icc-cricket.com/awards, with the results to be announced in the second week of October. Web Desk