Siraj, Henry, Seales nominated for ICC Men's Player of the Month award for August

Dubai, Sep 8 (IANS) India’s Mohammed Siraj, New Zealand’s Matt Henry and West Indies’ Jayden Seales have been nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for August 2205, following their standout bowling performances across formats.

Siraj’s burst on the final day of the Test series against England helped India win dramatically at The Oval by six runs and draw the five-match series at 2-2. With Jasprit Bumrah absent, Siraj led the attack with great determination.

He bowled more than 46 overs across two innings, after having featured in the previous four Tests in the series. He took four wickets in the first innings and followed it up with a stellar five-wicket haul in the second essay to give India an unforgettable victory in overseas conditions, with Siraj taking the Player of the Match award.

On the other hand, Henry delivered match-winning performance to finish with 16 wickets at a remarkable average of 9.12, as New Zealand completed a 2-0 Test series sweep over Zimbabwe.

Henry set the tone in the series opener with figures of 6-39 in the first innings, followed by three more wickets in the second essay to end with 9-90 and the Player of the Match honours.

He maintained his form in the second Test, claiming a five-wicket haul in the first innings and adding two more in the second essay, as New Zealand secured victory by an innings and 359 runs.

Seales, meanwhile, played a pivotal role in the West Indies’ historic ODI series win over Pakistan, their first such triumph in 34 years. He claimed 10 wickets at an average of 10 and an economy rate of just 4.10.

After a subdued start in the opening ODI, where he managed one wicket for 59 runs in a losing cause, Seales rebounded with a clinical display in the second match. He struck three times in seven overs, removing key batters Babar Azam and Saim Ayub to help the West Indies’ level the series.

His performance set the stage for a dominant finale, where he produced career-best figures of 6-18, the third-best by a West Indies bowler in ODI history, as West Indies won by a huge 202-run margin to claim their first series win over Pakistan since 1991.

--IANS

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