Kumar, Lee named ICC Players of the Month for March
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for March, with India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar winning the men’s award, while Lizelle Lee won the women’s gong.
Kumar was crowned ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 2021 for his outstanding displays in India’s recent home series against England, where he was the standout bowler in both the ODIs and T20Is.
“After what seemed like a really long and painful gap, I was delighted to be playing for India again. I used the time away to work on my fitness and skill and I am happy to be back taking wickets for my country,” Kumar said after being named the winner, as per a press release from the ICC.
“I would like to thank each and every person who helped me in this journey starting from my family and friends and my teammates. Also, a special thank you to the ICC voting academy and all the fans who voted for me and made me the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March.”
Representing the ICC Voting Academy, Indian legend VVS Laxman had the following to say about Khumar’s performances: “Bhuvi missed nearly a year and a half of international cricket through multiple unrelated injuries, but you’d never have guessed.
“He was outstanding in both the PowerPlay overs and at the death in the white-ball formats against a powerful, aggressive England batting line-up. Economical and penetrative, he was instrumental in shaping Indian triumphs in both series.”
New world number one batter
Meanwhile, Lee was named Women’s Player of the Month for March 2021 after scoring a century and two fifties in four ODIs, which saw her move to the top of the batting rankings.
“I am happy and honoured to receive this award. Such accolades are a great way to keep me motivated and to continue to work even harder on my game. A big thank you to my teammates for their support as this would never have been possible without them,” Lee said upon receiving the award.
Ramiz Raja, representing the ICC Voting Academy, commented on her impressive form: “It is not easy scoring those many runs in alien batting conditions. It is always a challenge to adjust from bouncy pitches to slow low turning tracks and Lizelle did magnificently.”
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