Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi, Gerhard Erasmus from Namibia and Muhammad Waseem from UAE have been nominated for ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for April 2024.
Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s pace spearhead, displayed impressive form ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, emerging as the top wicket-taker in the T20I series against New Zealand last month. He took a solitary wicket in the rain-curtailed first match, followed by standout performances in the second and fifth games in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Shaheen was at his best, claiming 3/13 in the second match and 4/30 in the final game, earning Player of the Match awards in both instances. His overall haul of eight wickets in the series secured him the Player of the Series title, showcasing his exceptional skill and prowess.
Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia)
The inspirational Namibia skipper was in great touch during last month’s tour of Oman as he made strong contributions with both bat and ball.
Erasmus produced two Player of the Match performances over the course of the five-match T20I series, with his first one coming in a narrow six-run loss in the second game of the series when the versatile all-rounder hit 58 from 56 deliveries and backed that up with a spell that netted 3/7.
But Erasmus bettered that effort in the decisive fifth match that decided the series as he smashed six sixes when scoring a quickfire 64 from 29 deliveries and then made a pair of crucial breakthroughs as Namibia clinched the series with an emphatic 62-run triumph.
Muhammad Waseem (UAE)
The hard-hitting right-hander was in fine form last month as he scored bulk runs at the ACC Premier Cup and helped himself to a third T20I century.
While Waseem started the month with a first-ball duck against Kuwait, the 30-year-old quickly found form at the top of the UAE batting order as he helped himself to innings of 65, 45 and 48 in three consecutive matches.
But Waseem’s highlight of the month came in the final of the ACC Premier Cup as he smashed six fours and a whopping seven sixes in making his third T20I century from just 56 deliveries and helping UAE to an impressive 55-run triumph over Oman.
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