ICC Monthly Awards: Indian duo Harmanpreet Kaur & Smriti Mandhana nominated after impressing in England series

The Indian duo of Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana have been nominated for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month for September after impressing in the ODI series against England. The duo led India to a historic 3-0 whitewash of the hosts as they won their first series on English soil since 1999. Bangladesh’s Nigar Sultana is the third player to be nominated for the monthly awards after she impressed in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 in UAE.

The captain of the Indian team was well-supported by the vice-captain on the tour of England with Smriti Mandhana scoring consistently in both the white-ball series.

An ICC 100% Cricket Superstar, Mandhana was the Player of the Match in India’s only win in the T20I series with a blistering 79* off 53 balls that blew England away in the second game. She was the highest run-scorer for India in the series with 111 runs at an average of 55.50 while striking at 137.03.

Harmanpreet Kaur had a memorable month not just as a batter but also as the captain of the Indian team, leading India to a 3-0 ODI whitewash over England. This was India’s first series win in England since 1999.

The 26-year-old carried her form over to the ODI series as well, finishing behind Harmanpreet as the second highest run-getter with 181 runs with two scores of 50+. She was unfortunate to miss out on a hundred in the first game of the series, falling short by just nine runs.

Harmanpreet led by example during the series and finished as the highest run-getter with 221 runs at an average of 221 and a strike rate of 103.27. She played the role of the finisher to perfection in the first two games.

Bangladesh finished as Champions of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 in the UAE and captain Nigar Sultana had a crucial role to play in it, both as a leader and a batter.

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