Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan was named the ICC Player of the Month for July on Wednesday (August 11). He emerged victorious after edging out Australia’s Mitchell Marsh and West Indian young leg-spinner Hayden Walsh. Shakib was the genuine difference-maker in Bangladesh’s tour to Zimbabwe in July and he deservedly won the coveted prize. The ace all-rounder has moved to the top of the ICC’s T20I all-rounder rankings following a steady performance in recent Bangladesh vs. Australia Twenty20 International series. Shakib has recently been in outstanding form with the ball on the international stage, helping Bangladesh win five straight international series.
What Made Shakib the Top Player for the Month of July
Shakib Al Hasan was the most important player during Bangladesh’s trip to Zimbabwe in July. He had a huge impact throughout the tour. Shakib took 5 wickets in the one-off Test match, which helped Bangladesh earn their first-ever Test series victory in Zimbabwe.
Shakib Al Hasan took 8 wickets and scored 145 runs (including a match-winning unbeaten 96* in the second ODI) in the three-match ODI series. Bangladesh won the three-match limited-overs series 3-0. Finally, he took three wickets in the T20I series, helping Bangladesh in winning the series 2-1.
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh had a fantastic T20I series against the Windies. He took 8 wickets and scored 219 runs in the five-match series, but his team lost the series 4-1 against the home side.
West Indian leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr. had a big impact in both the T20I and ODI series. He was named Player of the Series after taking 12 wickets in the Twenty20 International series.
Hayden Walsh was a strong contender for the award, but Shakib’s overall performance during the Zimbabwe tour last month made him the clear favorite to win the ICC’s best player award for the month of July.
The Current Scenario of ICC’s T20I Rankings
Shakib Al Hasan has regained the top spot in the ICC’s T20I all-rounder rankings after some strong performances in the recent series against Australia. Shakib scored the second-most runs (114) in the series with a strike rate of 100.88 on slow-turning pitches. He also took 7 wickets with an economy rate of 6.45.
Shakib’s best bowling performance of the series came in the last match when he took four wickets for only nine runs. The ace all-rounder was named player of the series and has moved to the top of the ICC T20I all-rounder rankings for his excellent consistency throughout the series.
Shakib Al Hasan currently leads the all-rounder rankings with 286 rating points, followed by Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi (285 points) and Scottish player Richard Berrington (194 points).
England’s Dawid Malan leads the batting chart with 841 points, followed by Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam (819 points) and New Zealand’s Devon Conway (774 points). South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi leads the bowling rankings with 792 rating points, followed by Sri Lanka’s Wanindu De Silva (764 points) and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (719 points).
England are ranked first in the ICC’s T20I team rankings with 278 rating points. India are in second place with 273 points, while New Zealand are in third place with 263 points. Bangladesh are presently ranked 10th in the world, with 231 rating points.
Bangladesh have a decent chance of moving up to fifth place if they whitewash New Zealand in the upcoming series. If Bangladesh win the series against New Zealand 4-1, they will be in sixth place. However, if Bangladesh win the series 3-2, they will be in seventh place.
Source: United News of Bangladesh