ICC announces the Men's Player of the Month nominees for November 2023
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the list of nominees who are in contention to win the Men's Player of the Month award for November. The month was an eventful one for the sport that witnessed the latter half of an incredible 2023 ODI World Cup campaign.
Several players rose when it mattered the most, and it is no surprise that the nominees for November are from the ICC ODI World Cup finalists - India and Australia.
The two nations put together an incredible set of campaigns throughout the event in India.
Given their dominant run in the World Cup, there were several key performers for both teams, but the trio of Mohammed Shami, Travis Head, and Glenn Maxwell made it to the final three.
#1 Mohammed Shami
The Indian speedster finished as the leading wicket-taker of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup. He came into prominence in the latter half of the campaign after Hardik Pandya's tournament-ending injury.
Shami picked up 15 wickets at an average of 12.06 and an economy rate of 5.68, in November, which includes a historic seven-wicket haul in the semi-final fixture against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium.
He also claimed a five-wicket haul at the same venue in Team India's thumping win over Sri Lanka in the league stage.
#2 Travis Head
Much like Shami, the Australian explosive batter also came into the scheme of things in the latter half of his team's winning campaign. Head suffered a fracture to his hand during the away series against South Africa ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup.
He walked back right into the playing XI after recovering and announced his arrival with a hundred against New Zealand in Dharamshala. The left-handed batter had a string of poor scores in the remainder of the league stage but stepped up in the knockouts.
Head earned the Player of the Match award in Australia's wins in the semi-final and final against South Africa and India, respectively. He scored a fifty in a tense run chase against the Proteas before cranking it up with a historic hundred in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Head finishes the month with 220 runs in five ODIs at an average of 44, as well as some key contributions in Australia's T20I series against India.
#3 Glenn Maxwell
The explosive batter had a historic ICC ODI World Cup campaign, which included a record ton against the Netherlands and a double ton against Afghanistan in a tense chase.
In November, Maxwell scored 204 runs at an average of 204 and a strike rate of 152.23 in three appearances. He also scored a record-equalling fourth T20I hundred in Australia's last-ball win over India in the third T20I in Guwahati.
Who will be crowned as the player of the month for November 2023? Let us know what you think.