ICC Player of the Month was first awarded in January 2021. It is a great way of recognizing cricketers’ good performances on a monthly basis. An ICC panel decides the nominees as well as the winners. The ICC Player of the Month for April 2022 has been declared. The Australian opener Alyssa Healy had performed exceptionally well recently. Therefore, she was named the POTM for April. She becomes the first female cricketer and only the second cricketer overall after Babar Azam to be named as ICC POTM twice. Earlier, she was named Player of the Month in April 2021.
In the men’s category, the in-form Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj is rewarded as Player of the Month for April. His performance in the Test series against Bangladesh was phenomenal. Therefore, he was rewarded over Oman’s Jatinder Singh and SA teammate Simon Harmer.
ICC Player of the Month for April 2022
Keshav Maharaj
Keshav Maharaj was exceptional in the two-Test home series with Bangladesh. He picked a total of 16 wickets for South Africa in the series. In the 3 ODIs, he picked 3 wickets. In both Tests, he had picked 7 wickets in one of the innings. Moreover, was in the second Test that Keshav had picked a total of 9 wickets, of which 7 came in the second innings. However, his contribution wasn’t limited to the ball. He smashed an important 84 off just 95 in the Port Elizabeth Test. Therefore, the members of the ICC voting panel applauded Maharaj.
“He was a key member to the success of the series for South Africa. The amount of wickets at crucial times was exceptional and late runs was one of the main reasons for their success.“
Lisa Sthalekar, member, ICC voting panel
Alyssa Healy
The Australian opening batter Healy has been excellent in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. Scoring 509 in 9 matches, she is the leading run-scorer. In addition, her 170 off 138 deliveries in the final against England has been instrumental in the Australian women’s team lifting the title for the 7th time. For her massive contribution, Healy was named the Player of the Series. Despite playing only one match in April, Alyssa Healy‘s World Cup exploits help her beat England’s Nat Sciver and Uganda’s Janet Mbabazi.
“A performance that has certainly taken the world by storm and to do it in a final says a lot about the character of this woman. A pioneer in the woman’s game that has set the bar extremely high.“
JP Duminy, member, ICC voting panel
