Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow among ICC Player of the Month nominees for June

ICC has announced nominees for Player of the Month for June. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow happen to be among them.

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On Monday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its June nominees for Player of the Month. With three players from each gender nominated, the men’s category had a couple of top performers. Former England skipper Joe Root and English wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow happen to be the two leading candidates among the nominees. Besides, New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell is the third nominee. The players came up with splendid performances during the three-Test series in England, which the hosts commendably won 3-0.

As for Bairstow, ICC says, “Bairstow was at his brutal best during the WTC series against New Zealand, scoring 394 runs at an average of 78.80. Despite a quiet showing at Lord’s, he recorded the second-fastest century for an English batter in Tests when he struck a phenomenal 136 in the second innings in Nottingham.”

“His [Bairstow’s] partnership alongside skipper Ben Stokes shifted the momentum of the second Test memorably and helped clinch victory against the odds. Bairstow continued where he left off in the final Test, bludgeoning his way to England’s second-fastest 150, laying the foundation for the series whitewash.”

For Root, ICC quoted, “Root continued his extraordinary form in the longest format, stretching back well over the last 12 months. His unbeaten 115 in the second innings of the first Test at Lord’s secured victory, setting the tone for three successful run chases against the current WTC title-holders, with Root seeing his side home in two of them.”

“Passing the 10,000 Test runs milestone during the series, his [Root] scores of 176 and 86 not out in the second and third Tests helped him reclaim the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Batting rankings in June and saw him end the month with 396 runs at an average of 99.00.”

Among the women, South African pacer Shabnim Ismail makes the nominations, alongside her teammate and batter Marizanne Kapp. Also, English batter Nat Sciver is the third nomination on the list. The winners are expected to be announced this weekend, with the fan voting open until Saturday.