Daryl Mitchell and Sobhana Mostary named ICC Player of January

Dubai, Feb 28
Daryl Mitchell and Sobhana Mostary were named ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after powering New Zealand to a stirring ODI series win in India, while Mostary’s prolific run at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier.

Mitchell was awarded the Player of the Month trophy for November 2022, having surpassed India's Suryakumar Yadav and England's Joe Root as nominees for the award. Mitchell starred in the 50-over series of New Zealand's tour of India, where he contributed significantly to his team's success in ODIs.

After New Zealand was down 0-1 in the three-match ODI series, Mitchell turned that series around with two back-to-back centuries — 131 not out in match two and 137 runs in match three, which helped New Zealand post a match-winning total of 337/8 in the third ODI and win the series 2-1.

Mitchell's performance in ODIs earned him Player of the Series for scoring 352 runs at a rate of 176 runs per match, and as a result, he regained the number one spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings. He contributed in the T20I leg that followed with 125 runs in five matches, at an eye-popping strike rate of 186.56.

The winner of the Player of the Month for women's cricket has also emerged in this instance, as Mostary shone on the global stage. She played a major role in helping Bangladesh finish unbeaten at the global qualifying tournament.

In her first six matches of that tournament, Mostary scored 229 runs with an average of 45.80 and a strike rate of 145.85. Mostary's excellent consistency and aggressive style set her apart from the other nominees, Ireland's captain Gaby Lewis and Tara Norris, as they were included along with her to be the nominees for this award.