Gill, Abhishek, Raza shortlisted for ICC Men’s Player of the Month

India’s Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma have been nominated alongside Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for September after standout performances in white-ball cricket. Gill’s month was the most prolific of the three, highlighted by an unbeaten 223 against the West Indies in Guwahati. The India captain struck 26 fours and eight sixes as India chased down 406 in 43.3 overs, completing the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history. The 223 not out was also the highest individual score in a successful ODI chase, while Gill reached his century in 62 balls. He had earlier scored 110 in the series opener in Thiruvananthapuram, taking his tally to two centuries in as many matches. Abhishek returned to his explosive best during India’s T20I series against Afghanistan. The left-hander smashed 82 from 32 balls in the opening match before producing an extraordinary 108 from 45 deliveries in the third game. His century came from just 30 balls, the fastest T20I hundred by a batter from a Full Member nation, according to the ICC. Abhishek finished the series with 229 runs at an average of 76.33 and was named Player of the Series. Raza, meanwhile, underlined his value as an all-rounder during Zimbabwe’s ODI series against Australia. He scored 57 in the opening match, followed it with 45 in the second and remained unbeaten on 81 in the final game. He also took two wickets in the final ODI, including the dismissals of Josh Inglis and Oliver Peake. The three nominees now await the outcome of the ICC award, with Gill’s record-breaking September, Abhishek’s explosive T20 displays and Raza’s consistency with bat and ball providing a compelling contest. Women’s shortlist The ICC has also shortlisted India’s Shafali Verma and Sree Charani alongside Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu for the Women’s Player of the Month award for September, following a month of standout performances across the Asia Cup and Asian Games. Verma was the leading run-scorer at the Women’s Asia Cup as India secured a record-extending eighth title. The explosive opener scored 360 runs in seven T20 internationals at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61, while also taking six wickets. Her form continued at the Asian Games in Japan, where she scored 188 runs in three innings, including a maiden T20I century against Bangladesh. She added 48 in the gold-medal match as India beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs. Athapaththu delivered an all-round performance, scoring 226 runs and taking 14 wickets in seven T20Is. Her highlight was a remarkable 7-5 against Indonesia, including a hat-trick, during the Asia Cup. Charani was India’s leading wicket-taker, claiming 18 wickets at an average of 4.83. She also reached 817 rating points in the ICC T20I rankings, becoming the highest-rated women’s T20I bowler in history. The winner will be decided through a vote, with the nominees recognised for their contributions to a memorable month of women’s cricket.