New Delhi: The International Cricket Council has ignored members from India’s World Cup-winning team in February’s Player of the Month award shortlist. Conversely, the cricket body has picked Pakistan star Sahibzada Farhan among other nominees in the list. India, on March 8, became the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup title, the first to win on home soil and the first to win three titles.
However, despite some notable contributions from the likes of Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah, who were all named in the ICC’s Team of the Tournament, the ICC chose none of them in the Player of the Month list.
The nominees for the Player of the Month for February were Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan, England’s Will Jacks, and the USA’s Shadley van Schalkwyk.
Farhan nominated for prolific tournament
Pakistan opener Sahibzada finished as the highest run-getter in the tournament with 383 runs at a strike rate of 160.25 and an average of 76.60. He broke Virat Kohli’s record for most runs in a single edition and became the first batter to score two centuries in a single edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Jacks was instrumental to England’s spirited run to the semi-finals, with 194 runs at a strike rate of 173.21 and 11 wickets. Jacks’ all-round performance helped him become the first player to win four Player of the Match awards in a single edition.
USA pacer Van Schalkwyk emerged as the showstopper with the ball in the league stages, picking up 13 wickets at an economy of 7.76, including two four-wicket hauls against India and Pakistan. He remained the highest wicket-taker in the tournament till the final, when the Indian duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah surpassed him.
Though India had a representative in the women’s list. Fast bowler Arundhati Reddy earned a nomination for February alongside Sri Lanka’s Harshitha Samarawickrama and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, who were also shortlisted.