Bangladesh pace sensation Nahid Rana has been nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for April, the International Cricket Council confirmed on 8 May, recognising the 23-year-old’s outstanding performances in the home ODI series against New Zealand that helped Bangladesh to a 2-1 series victory.
Nahid joins Jatinder Singh of Oman and Ajay Kumar of the UAE on the three-man shortlist for the monthly award.
The nomination comes on the back of one of the most impressive ODI series performances by a Bangladesh bowler in recent memory. Nahid claimed eight wickets across the three-match series against New Zealand at an average of 16.75 and a miserly economy rate of 4.46, numbers that reflected not just his wicket-taking ability but his capacity to control and dominate with the ball.
The standout performance came in the second ODI in Mirpur, where Nahid tore through New Zealand’s batting lineup with figures of 5 for 32 in a display of raw pace and intelligent bowling that announced him as one of the most exciting young fast bowlers in Asian cricket. He took one wicket in the first ODI and two in the third to round off a series that earned him the Player of the Series award.
His form has since carried into the Pakistan Super League, where he represented Peshawar Zalmi in the final, and now into the Test series against Pakistan, underlining a period of sustained excellence that makes his ICC nomination entirely deserved.
Oman captain and opening batter Jatinder Singh enjoyed a remarkable month in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, amassing 266 runs from five ODIs at an average of 53.20 and a strike rate of above 115. His innings of 51 against Scotland caught the eye, but it was a blistering 130 off 96 balls against Nepal in Kirtipur that drew the loudest attention, a knock that set a new record score for an Oman batter in ODI cricket.
The third nominee, UAE seamer Ajay Kumar, has made a stunning entrance onto the international stage since his debut. In just two ODIs, he claimed nine wickets at an average of 7.66 and an economy rate of 3.66, numbers that are almost impossible to believe at any level of cricket. After taking 3 for 34 against Nepal, he followed up with a devastating 6 for 35 against Oman to announce himself as a bowler of serious potential on the Associate circuit.
