ICC Player of the Month nominees: Head, Maxwell, Shami. Outstanding cricket performances.

Two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 champions and an Indian fast-bowling veteran have been named to the November 2023 shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award.

(Australia) World Cup

Travis Head, an Australian batting sensation, scored an incredible century against New Zealand at the end of October to mark his comeback to the starting lineup following a protracted injury layoff. He carried on this strong form into November.

He scored 220 runs at an astonishing average of 44 in five One-Day Internationals in November, including a half-century and a century. Particularly, his outstanding efforts in the semi-final and final of the Cricket World Cup, where he won Player of the Match honors and was crucial to Australia winning their sixth trophy.

Trophy lifted by Travis Head special | Innings Highlights | World Cup

He also had an impact with the ball in the semi-final, stopping South Africa’s innings rebuild and taking two vital wickets in Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen. This kept the Proteas to a manageable total, which Head once again led to victory in a tight chase with a brilliant 62 from 48.

Aside from his ODI run, Head hit an 18-ball 35 in Australia’s five-wicket win over India in the third T20I of the recently concluded five-match series. Head’s outstanding knock in the final against India, which included 15 fours and four sixes, helped Australia win the game by six wickets. At one point, Australia’s innings looked hopeless as they were reduced to 47/3 in pursuit of 241.

Glenn Maxwell (Australia) CWC23

“Glenn Maxwell” made two wickets and scored 204 runs at an average of 152.23 in his three ODI appearances last month. In the two T20Is of the series against India, he scored 116 runs at a potent strike rate of 207.14. Maxwell’s golfing accident had kept him out of Australia’s opening-round Cricket World Cup match against England, but the all-rounder bounced back against Afghanistan.

Every six as CWC23’s Glenn Maxwell achieves an incredible double hundred

Rahmat Shah was removed by him with the ball, and he finished at 1/55. But, Afghanistan’s total of 291/5 looked improbable as Australia fell from 43/1 to 91/7. Maxwell took over then, and he hit an incredible 201 from 128 (one of the greatest ODI knocks) with 21 fours and 10 sixes in the record innings.

In addition to being the second-fastest double century in history and the first by an Australian in Men’s ODIs, his double century was also the first to be scored in a chase and the highest score by a player ranked No. 6 or lower.

With an incredible hundred in the third Twenty20 International in Guwahati, he helped Australia win the series against India. Later, he played in the Twenty20 International. His 104* included eight fours and eight sixes off just forty-eight balls. It assisted in locating India’s 223.

Mohammed Shami (India) World Cup

Even into November,  Mohammed Shami`s stellar World Cup performance persisted. At 12.06 average and 5.68 economy rate, he claimed 15 wickets.
He claimed 24 wickets in just seven innings, good for first place overall in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Shami bowls his best numbers of his career | World Cup

A remarkable 5/18 against Sri Lanka at Wankhede was one of his standout performances this month. When Shami arrived towards the end of the first Powerplay, Sri Lanka was already down to three hundred and fifty. During his five overs, he run through their middle and lower order.
Destruction of South Africa at Eden Gardens was aided by a disciplined 2/18. But the quick bowler really showed his mettle in the semi-final matchup with New Zealand.

The Black Caps were rocked early on by Shami’s new ball effort. Especially after giving up 397 in the first innings. Still, Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson held their ground and remained on the hunt’s side. In order to secure an India victory, Shami struck five more times. After other bowlers for the country were unable to provide an answer. As a bowler, he finished with the best return for an Indian in One-Day Internationals (7/57).