Haylee Matthews, Muhammad Waseem Named ICC Players of the Month for April – News18

West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month after spearheading her team’s success in Pakistan across both ODI and T20I series. UAE captain and opener Muhammad Waseem was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month; thanks to his notable run-scoring feats as the UAE triumphed in the ACC Premier Cup.

Matthews celebrated her third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after previously winning in November 2021 and October 2023. Her most recent success comes thanks to an array of eye-catching all-round performances in April, resulting in 451 runs and 12 wickets across both shorter formats.

The West Indies began their tour of Pakistan with three ODIs, and skipper Matthews set the tone early with a dominant display in the opening encounter, blasting an unbeaten 140 from atop the order and following up with three wickets for 17.

More success followed with Matthews replicating her heroics in the third fixture, scoring 141 in 149 balls and taking two wickets for 26 in another comfortable victory to seal the ODI series sweep.

When the attention turned to the subsequent T20I series, the 26-year-old reinforced her position as the top-ranked Women’s T20I allrounder. Back-to-back half-centuries in Karachi and six wickets at an average of 10.50 told the tale of her series, as she inspired the tourists to another emphatic 4-1 series triumph.

ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April, Hayley Matthews, said, “I am really happy to win the award again. These performances resulted in the team’s success and that’s the most important thing for me as captain.

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“To win in Pakistan was always a big goal. I wanted to perform well and contribute to the team’s success so to be able to have performances and get the results, that was really good and showed that the hard work and the concentration in Pakistan paid off.

“Being able to set some new records and achieve some new milestones as well was good for me so I’m extremely happy. We have confidence and we will take this with us going into the tour of Sri Lanka and look to secure more crucial points in the ICC Women’s Championship.”

ICC Men’s Player of the Month, Waseem becomes the first UAE player to win the accolade and does so after a string of powerful knocks saw his side claim the ACC Premier Cup in Oman. The opener struck 269 runs during the month at an average of 44.83, which included a sparkling 56-ball century in the final showdown against the hosts.

Boasting an eye-catching strike rate of 182.99 from his April performances, Waseem’s explosive strokeplay was evident throughout the UAE’s campaign. A brisk 65 against Bahrain was followed up by smashing 45 and 48 against Oman and Cambodia respectively, before his fireworks against Oman secured a comfortable 55-run victory.

“It is a great honour to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award. I am thrilled to join a distinguished list of award winners from around the world,” Waseem said.

“The award is a big motivation for players especially those from emerging cricket teams like the UAE. Last month, our goal in the ACC Premier Cup in Oman was to qualify for next year’s Asia Cup and I am proud of my team and their performance in the tournament.

“At a personal level, I am happy that I led the team from the front, especially in the final. Scoring a century in a big game is indeed a special moment, especially when it helps the team to victory. I look forward to our preparations for the Asia Cup and my aim is to continue to deliver for the team with the bat and lead by example in these exciting times for UAE cricket,” he added.