Harmanpreet Kaur, Mohammad Rizwan adjudged ICC Player of the Month for September

Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan wicketkeeper-opener Mohammad Rizwan have won the ICC Player of the Month awards for September in women's and men's classifications, respectively. Harmanpreet was awarded for her impressive showing in the One-Day International (ODI) series in England. The Indian skipper surpassed her deputy Smriti Mandhana and Bangladesh counterpart Nigar Sultana, who also produced stunning displays of their gameplay.

"It was great to be nominated for the award and to win it is an amazing feeling. Coming out as a winner when nominated alongside Smriti and Nigar is humbling. I have always taken immense pride in representing my country, and achieving the historic ODI series win in England will remain a landmark moment for me in my career," Harmanpreet articulated after winning the honour.

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Harmanpreet had a memorable month with the bat and as a skipper, leading India to a particular 3-0 ODI series sweep over England. It was India's maiden series win in England since 1999. She led by example during the series, finishing as the highest run-getter. She scored 221 runs at an average of 221 and a strike rate of 103.27.

In the opening ODI, Harmanpreet's well-paced innings of an unbeaten 74 piloted India to success while chasing 228. She followed it up with a tremendous unbeaten knock of 143 off only 111 deliveries in the second match, her second-highest score in the format. Among men, Rizwan conquered Indian all-rounder Axar Patel and Australian all-rounder Cameroon Green to bag the prize.

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In September, Rizwan was in breathtaking form, swirling out some searing performances in the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). "I want to give my high appreciation to all my teammates as they made things easy for me. These achievements boost your confidence. I am happy with my performance, and I would like to take this momentum forward in Australia," an ecstatic Rizwan enunciated.

"I would like to dedicate this award to the people in Pakistan who are affected by the floods and climate change. Hopefully, this will bring smiles to their faces," concluded Rizwan. In the ten games he played last month, Rizwan scored seven half-centuries. His month began with a couple of scores of 70-plus against Hong Kong and India in the Asia Cup 2022 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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Rizwan ended the competition with yet another half-century and as the top run-scorer. In the first five T20Is of the seven-game series against England, Rizwan recorded four scores of 60-plus. Both the winners will receive gold medallions from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

(With inputs from PTI)