Shubman Gill named ICC Men's Player

INDIA batter Shubman Gill was on Monday (13) named ICC Men's Player of the Month for January, while England U-19 skipper Grace Scrivens became the youngest player to be named for the women's honour.

Gill enjoyed a record-breaking month in white-ball cricket in January. The free-scoring batter was a prolific source of runs throughout the month, most notably in the ODI format, scoring big against both Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

With 567 runs during January, which included three century-plus scores, the 23-year-old Gill wowed fans with a lethal combination of graceful and attacking strokeplay. In a month which presented several highlights for Gill, his stand-out performance came in the form of a stunning double-hundred in the nail-biting victory over New Zealand in the series opener in Hyderabad.

His unbeaten 208 came off just 149 balls with 28 boundaries - a startling feat not just because it made him the youngest double-centurion in the ODI format, but also because all those around him seemed to falter on a difficult pitch for batters.

There were two further centuries - 116 in a dominant victory over Sri Lanka, and 112 in the final ODI against New Zealand.

Gill overcame a competitive field to claim his first ICC Men's Player-of-the-Month award, beating New Zealand opener Devon Conway and compatriot Mohammed Siraj in the global vote. In doing so, he becomes the first Indian winner since Virat Kohli in October 2022.

"January was a special month for me and winning this award makes it all the more memorable. It is always heartening to be recognised for your performances, and I will take great confidence from these innings, especially as we head into an extremely important period prior to an ICC Men's Cricket World Cup on home soil," Gill said in an ICC release.

Scrivens bagged the award after her all-round brilliance in the inaugural ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup.

The England captain excelled in her leadership role, guiding her side to the final, only to lose to eventual title winners India.

Captaining her side in seven outings, the 19-year-old enjoyed plenty of success in the middle, scoring 293 runs at an average of 41.85, which included three successive half-centuries in victories over Rwanda, Ireland and the West Indies.

As well as her notable batting exploits, Scrivens took nine valuable wickets throughout the tournament at a remarkable average of 7.11, including the final wicket as England sealed their passage to the final in the thrilling semi-final victory over Australia by three runs.

She emerged victorious ahead of fellow nominees Phoebe Litchfield and Beth Mooney of Australia, who both performed brilliantly in the shorter formats during January.

The awards were decided in a global vote conducted among media representatives, ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and fans registered on the ICC website.

(PTI)