By Zim Sport Live Writer
Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani was on Monday nominated as one of the three contenders to win the ICC player of the month award for April following his magnificent performance during their tour of Bangladesh.
Muzarabani was nominated along with Bangladesh all-rounder, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and New Zealander Ben Sears.
The 28-year-old fast bowler has a very good chance of winning the coveted monthly award for the first time in his career after impressing everyone with his pace and sharp bowling.
The 28-year-old was at his best in the first Test in Sylhet as he dominated the Bangladesh batting unit.
He picked up figures of 3/50 in the first innings, which included the wicket of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto.
Muzarabani went three better in the second innings as he ran through the Bangladesh batting lineup with figures of 6/72, as his performance guided Zimbabwe to a three-wicket win and helped him secure the Player of the Match award.
Muzarabani also finished as Zimbabwe’s top wicket-taker in the series with 10 wickets across two Tests at an average of 20.50.
Also nominated is Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the reliable all-rounder from Bangladesh. The 27-year-old had an excellent series with both bat and ball.
In the first Test, Miraz took 5 for 52 in the first innings and 5 for 50 in the second, keeping Bangladesh competitive despite the defeat. He truly shined in the second Test in Chattogram, where he scored a brilliant century (104 off 162 balls) after Zimbabwe were bowled out cheaply.
Miraz followed up with another strong bowling display, grabbing 5 wickets for 32 runs in the second innings to lead Bangladesh to a big innings-and-106-run victory, leveling the series 1-1.
By the end of April, Miraz had scored 116 runs at an average of 38.66 and taken 15 wickets at an average of 11.86, making him one of the top all-round performers of the month.
The third nominee is New Zealand pacer Ben Sears, who starred in the ODI series against Pakistan. The 27-year-old was in sensational form, taking back-to-back five-wicket hauls in the final two matches of the three-match series. In the second ODI in Hamilton, he tore through Pakistan’s middle order, dismissing key batters like Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha to finish with figures of 5 for 59. His performance helped New Zealand win by 84 runs and secure the series.
In the final ODI at Mount Maunganui, Sears continued his fine form, taking 5 for 34 in nine overs to lead New Zealand to a 43-run win and a 3-0 series sweep. He was named Player of the Series for taking 10 wickets at an average of 9.30 and an economy rate of 5.07, rounding off a brilliant month.