ICC announces nominations for Men's Player of the Month

The International Cricket Council has declared the nominees for the ICC Player of the Month Awards for April. The award is given to recognize the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all formats of international cricket. In the month of April, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam became the No.1 ranked batsman in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's ODI Player Rankings. With 865 points, Babar Azam is the new No. 1 ODI batsman. He is then followed by Indian batsmen Virat Kohli (857 points) and Rohit Sharma (825 points).

Babar Azam featured in three ODIs against South Africa and performed brilliantly for his side. The batsman returned scores of 103 and 94 and also won two Player of the Match awards in Pakistan's series victory. Babar concluded the series against Pakistan with 228 runs at a strike rate of 104. His impressive performances have helped him surpass Virat Kohli as the No.1-ranked ODI batsman. Babar also added another achievement to his illustrious career. He has become only the fourth Pakistani batsman to claim the No.1 spot in the 50-over format. Before him, Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003) have been the number one ODI batsmen for Pakistan.

Nepal's Khushal Bhurtel nominated for Men's Player of the Month

Babar Azam played seven T20Is in April. He played four matches against South Africa and three against Zimbabwe. The 26-year-old scored a total of 305 runs at 43.75 with a strike rate of 126.55. This included two fifties and a 59-ball 122 at the centurion. Among the highlights was a 197-run stand with Mohammad Rizwan. This has been the highest partnership in a T20I run chase so far. Babar Azam has now amassed 3808 runs in ODI cricket and has scored his runs at an average of 56.83. Pakistan's 3-1 win in the series against South Africa comes as a morale booster. However, the side remains in the fourth position in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings after gaining two points and reaching an aggregate of 262. South Africa is presently at the 6th spot in the rankings.

Babar Azam's compatriot Fakhar Zaman also produced a spectacular show during the month. He slammed two centuries in the ODI series victory over South Africa. This also included a magnificent century in the second match in Johannesburg. The men's player of the month shortlist also includes Nepal's Khushal Bhurtel. He was the leading run-scorer as his side won the tri-series. The tri-series featured teams of the Netherlands and Malaysia as well. Khushal amassed 278 runs, including four half-centuries in five matches.

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