Mehidy Hasan Miraz wins ICC Player of the Month award, first after march 2023 for Bangladesh
For the first time since March 2023, a Bangladeshi cricketer has won the ICC Player of the Month award. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, after securing a spot in the ICC Player of the Month race, has made an impact by winning the award with a record-breaking performance. The Bangladesh all-rounder was named the best male cricketer of April, while Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce took the award for women.
The ICC announced the winners of last month’s Player of the Month award on Wednesday.
Miraz claimed the top spot after overcoming Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani and New Zealand’s Ben Sears in the race for the award. Kathryn Bryce won the women’s award, beating West Indies’ Hayley Matthews and Pakistan’s Fatima Sana.
Miraz is now the third male cricketer from Bangladesh to win the Player of the Month award. The last Bangladeshi cricketer to win this honor was all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who received the award in March 2023. Another player to have won this award from Bangladesh is the experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim.
In April, Miraz delivered an outstanding all-round performance in the Test series against Zimbabwe, which earned him this recognition. Overjoyed with the win, Miraz also shared some memorable moments:
“Winning the ICC Men’s Player of the Month is an unbelievable honor. ICC awards are the ultimate recognition for any cricketer, and winning this through global votes means a lot to me.”
“These moments remind me of my early days in cricket – being named Player of the Tournament in the 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup was a huge inspiration at the start of my career. This award feels just as special.”
During the first Test against Zimbabwe in Sylhet, Bangladesh lost by 3 wickets, but Miraz made history with his bowling. He took all five wickets in Zimbabwe’s first innings and followed that up with another five wickets in the second innings with brilliant bowling.
Miraz became the first Bangladeshi to take at least 10 wickets in a single Test match, a feat that has only been achieved by left-arm spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam in the country.
In the second Test in Chittagong, where Bangladesh won by an innings and 106 runs, Miraz starred with a 104-run innings that gave his team the lead. He also took five wickets in Zimbabwe’s second innings, earning the Player of the Match award.
Miraz became the third Bangladeshi cricketer to score a century and take five wickets in the same Test match, following in the footsteps of Shakib Al Hasan (who did it twice) and Sohag Gazi. He also became only the seventh cricketer in Test history to take 10 wickets in a match and score a century in the same series.
Kathryn Bryce won the women’s Player of the Month award after an outstanding performance in the World Cup qualifiers. She led Scotland with distinction, although they couldn’t secure a spot for the 2025 World Cup, finishing fourth in the qualifiers.
In the tournament, Bryce scored 91 runs against Pakistan, followed by 60 against Thailand. In Scotland’s final match, she played an unbeaten 131-run innings against Ireland.
In total, Bryce scored 293 runs at an average of 73.25 in 5 matches, the highest in the tournament. She also contributed significantly with the ball, taking 6 wickets, including three against Ireland.
Bryce was named the Best Player of the Qualifiers for her all-round performance and was included in the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers’ Best XI. Now, she has added the Player of the Month award to her achievements.
