Bangladesh fast bowler Nahid Rana has been shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for April after an impressive run of performances in the home ODI series against New Zealand.
The 23-year-old pacer played a central role in Bangladesh’s 2-1 series victory over New Zealand, delivering consistently effective spells throughout the three-match contest. Nahid claimed eight wickets across the series at an economy rate of 4.46, underlining both his wicket-taking ability and control with the new ball.
His standout performance came in the second ODI at Mirpur, where he produced a match-winning spell of 5 for 32. Bangladesh secured a convincing 55-run victory in that match, with Nahid dismantling New Zealand’s batting line-up at crucial intervals. The performance also earned him widespread praise as one of Bangladesh’s emerging pace talents.
In the third and final ODI in Chattogram, Nahid continued his good form by taking two wickets, helping Bangladesh seal the series. His contributions across all three matches were recognised with the Player of the Series award.
Nahid’s nomination marks another milestone in his rapidly developing international career, as Bangladesh continues to invest in a younger fast-bowling unit capable of competing consistently in white-ball cricket.
He faces competition from two other nominees in the men’s category: Oman captain Jatinder Singh and United Arab Emirates left-arm seamer Ajay Kumar.
Jatinder enjoyed a prolific month with the bat, scoring 266 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 53.20 and a strike rate of 115.15. His best performance came against Nepal, where he smashed 139 runs from just 91 balls in a commanding innings.
Meanwhile, UAE pacer Ajay Kumar impressed with nine wickets during the month. His notable spells included figures of 3 for 34 against Nepal and an outstanding 6 for 35 against Oman, performances that strengthened his case for the award.
In the women’s category, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt, Sri Lanka opener Imesha Dulani and Brazil all-rounder Laura Cardoso were named on the shortlist.
Wolvaardt enjoyed an excellent month, scoring back-to-back 69-run innings in an ODI series against New Zealand before dominating India in T20Is. She registered one century and three half-centuries as South Africa won the series 4-1.
Imesha Dulani was equally influential for Sri Lanka, scoring 116 runs against Bangladesh in the ICC Women’s Championship series to earn Player of the Series honours. She later added 82 runs in the T20I series.
Brazil’s Laura Cardoso delivered one of the month’s most remarkable all-round displays, scoring 203 T20I runs while also taking 17 wickets. Her extraordinary spell of 9 wickets for just 4 runs against Lesotho drew significant international attention.
| Category | Nominee | Country | Key Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Nahid Rana | Bangladesh | 8 wickets vs New Zealand, economy 4.46 |
| Men | Jatinder Singh | Oman | 266 ODI runs, including 139 vs Nepal |
| Men | Ajay Kumar | UAE | 9 wickets, including 6/35 vs Oman |
| Women | Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa | 1 century, 3 fifties vs India |
| Women | Imesha Dulani | Sri Lanka | 116 runs vs Bangladesh |
| Women | Laura Cardoso | Brazil | 203 runs and 17 wickets in T20Is |
The ICC Player of the Month awards recognise standout individual performances across international cricket, with winners determined through a combination of fan votes and selections from the ICC Voting Academy.