Babar Azam won the ICC Player of the Month title for the third time in August 2023 thanks to his stellar play in one-day internationals.
After a string of excellent runs in one-day internationals in August 2023, Babar Azam, captain of the Pakistan cricket team, was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month. He won this accolade for the record-setting third time, besting teammate Shadab Khan and West Indies ODI squad skipper Shai Hope in the process. Babar’s third win of this award shows his consistency throughout formats, joining Harry Brook and Shakib Al Hasan as the only players to win it twice.
In the final bilateral ODI series that Pakistan played in Sri Lanka, Babar struck two consecutive fifties against Afghanistan. He took his form into the Asia Cup 2023, where he scored 151 runs against Nepal on August 30. He won the ICC’s monthly award with a century and two fifties, besting the in-form Shadab and Hope.
Babar, the Pakistani captain, expressed his delight at the prospect of repeating as men’s award winner and stated that his team would like to maintain its strong performance in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.
Babar expressed his excitement at being selected August 2023’s ICC Player of the Month. My team and I have put in some exceptional performances over the past month. After so many years, Pakistan finally hosted the Asia Cup, and the cricket-crazed fans in Multan and Lahore were a sight to behold. My second ODI century came in front of my home crowd in Multan, which made the achievement that much sweeter.
With the Asia Cup’s conclusion quickly approaching and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup not far off, I’m eager to put my form to good use. We can’t wait to bring smiles to the faces of Pakistan’s countless admirers.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s Arlene Kelly was honoured as August 2023’s ICC Women’s Player of the Month. She won it for the first time by defeating Iris Zwilling of the Netherlands and Ainna Hamizah Hashim, an all-arounder from Malaysia. She dominated the competition for the ICC award after taking 10 wickets in just three innings during a three-match T20I series against the Netherlands in August.