Haris Rauf shortlisted for ICC Men’s Player of the Month award

In Sports
December 05, 2024
Haris Rauf shortlisted for ICC Men’s Player of the Month award


Pakistan’s Haris Rauf celebrates his wicket of Afganistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket warm-up match between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane on October 19, 2022. — AFP

Pakistan right-arm pacer Haris Rauf has been named among the outstanding performers shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month awards for November 2024.

The right-arm bowler faces stiff competition from India’s Jasprit Bumrah and South Africa’s Marco Jansen, who delivered stellar performances that propelled their teams to historic victories in their respective matches.

Rauf was pivotal in Pakistan’s historic ODI series win in Australia — their first in 22 years.

The right-arm pacer capped off the series as the top wicket-taker with 10 scalps at an economy rate of just five. His outstanding bowling effort led Pakistan to a 2-1 series win.

His exceptional form continued in the subsequent T20I series, where he took five wickets, including a spectacular four-wicket haul in the second T20I.

He wrapped up the month with three more wickets in as many ODIs against the Kangaroos, bringing his tally to 18 dismissals across all formats in November.

South Africa’s Marco Jansen displayed his all-round brilliance throughout November. In the T20I series against India, he made significant contributions with both bat and ball.

He picked up a wicket in each of the first three matches and was particularly dominant with the bat, smashing a swashbuckling 17-ball 54 in the third T20I and an unbeaten 29 in the fourth.

Despite his efforts, South Africa lost the series 3-1. Jansen’s most notable performance came in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Durban, where he delivered career-best match figures of 11/86.

His seven-wicket haul in the first innings helped bowl Sri Lanka out for just 42 — the second-lowest total in Test history in the 21st century.

India’s stand-in captain in the opening Border-Gavaskar series Test, Jasprit Bumrah, reaffirmed his reputation as one of the game’s greats.

His remarkable eight-wicket haul in Perth (5/30 and 3/42) was pivotal in India’s 295-run victory in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

After India were bundled out for 150, the right-arm pacer dismantled Australia’s top order, claiming three wickets in the first seven overs and finishing with 5/30 to restrict the hosts to just 104.

In the fourth innings, defending a daunting total of 534, he struck early again, adding three more scalps to seal a dominant win for India, earning him the Player of the Match award.

An independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world will now be invited to cast their votes to decide the winners, which will be announced next week.