World Cricket Governing Body reveals the nominees for the Player of the Month award

World Cricket Governing Council has revealed the nominees for the Player of the Month award for the month of August 2022. England Test skipper Ben Stokes, New Zealand's left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, and Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza have been shortlisted for the award. Stokes was nominated on the back of his Test hundred in the second Test match against South Africa. His inning came at a time when the Three Lions were in trouble.

The left-hander's ton helped the team to reach a daunting total which also ensured they won the Test by an innings. In that game, the 2019 World Cup winner also did well with the ball. His performance has helped the team level the three-match series by 1-1. The last game of the series will start on September 8 at The Oval in London. Talking about Sikandar Raza, he had a tremendous month with the bat.

Last month, he scored three centuries combining against the likes of Bangladesh and India. In an ODI game against the Bangla Tigers, his innings of 135 off 109 balls helped the team chase down 304 after being 62/3 at one stage. In the game against India, he almost pulled off an unlikely win with his another century.

Next up is Mitchell Santner, who had a great time with the bat and ball last month. In the game against the Netherlands, he promoted himself to the number three spot and scored an unbeaten 42-ball 77. This innings helped the Black Caps chase down the target of 150 runs with six overs to spare. Next up was his heroics in the Caribbean where he took three wickets each in the two T20Is to win to help his side take an unassailable lead against the West Indies.

In the ODI games against the same opponents, he scored some handy runs and took a few wickets during the series. This performances earned him the Player of the Series award.