Keshav Maharaj, Alyssa Healy win ICC Player of the Month awards for April

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the winners of the Player of the Month (POTM) for April 2022. 

The South African left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has secured the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for his performances in the Test series against Bangladesh. 

In 2 matches of the series, Maharaj finished as the leading wicket-taker with 16 scalps at an average of 12.12. In this pursuit, the spinner registered the best figures of 7/32. Apart from the ball, he contributed 108 runs with the bat at an average of 36 as well. 

The other nominees for this award were South Africa’s Simon Harmer and Oman’s Jatinder Singh. Harmer was the partner to Maharaj in the Bangladesh Test series, and picked up 13 wickets and scored 78 runs. In four appearances, Singh had garnered a total of 259 runs in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. 

In the Women’s category, the Australian opener Alyssa Healy was chosen as the recipient of the Player of the Month award for her strong showing in the ICC Women’s World Cup final against England.

Healy smashed 170 off 138 deliveries, comprising 26 fours to propel the Australian team to a score of 356, and the team ultimately won by 71 runs and lifted their 7th ODI World Cup title.   

Healy beat the likes of England’s Natalie Sciver and Uganda’s Janet Mbabazi. In the Women’s World Cup final, Sciver garnered 148 off 121 balls and was the team’s top run-scorer. 

In a T20 Tri-Series involving Uganda, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, Mbabazi scalped 11 wickets and emerged as the best bowler of the series. She also contributed 118 runs at an average of 29.50.