Zimbabwe's all-rounder Sikandar Raza and Australian all-rounder Tahlia McGrath have been declared the winners of the ICC Player of the month award for August 2022 in their respective categories. Raza has become the first Zimbabwe International to receive the honours and has been key for Zimbabwe during the month. Meanwhile, McGrath has also been a pivotal cog in the Australian team's journey during August.
Raza has had a tremendous time at the 22-yards. He scored centuries against Bangladesh and India in the home ODI series and has also scalped a few wickets. His two tons against Bangladesh in a three-match series helped Zimbabwe defeat the Bangla Tigers by 2-1. Raza also notched up a ton against India in three ODIs. He has also picked seven wickets.
"I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award. It’s even more humbling being the first Zimbabwean to ever win the award," Raza said after being declared the winner.
Meanwhile, ICC Player of the Month voting panel member JP Duminy has also heaped praise on Raza's performance. "Sikandar has really blossomed into a fine all-rounder, and more importantly he has shown great consistency against some of the top teams in the world. It’s exciting to see what comes next for him," Duminy said.
Meanwhile, Tahlia McGrath has also had a memorable month as she helped her team to win the Gold medal in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. McGrath has scored 128 runs in her team's journey towards the yellow metal and has eight five batters packing during the tournament.
"I’m honoured to have been named as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for August given there are so many great players who are at the top of their game at the moment," McGrath said.
ICC Player of the Month voting panel member Daren Ganga opened up on McGrath's show for the Aussies. "McGrath is one of the purest all-rounders in the women’s game. Her skill to swing the ball with consistent control matched with her batting ability all present remarkable value added to Australia," Ganga said.
