Bangladesh spin bowling sensation Nahida Akter on Monday clinched the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for November for her wicket-taking exploits during last month’s competitive ODI series victory over Pakistan on home soil.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) today revealed the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month award winners for November 2023 after shortlists were announced on Thursday last week.
She is the first Bangladesh women’s player to win the award.
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The first ODI encounter of the series saw Akter claim three wickets for 30 with a consistent spell of pressure bowling. With Pakistan chasing down a lowly 82 for victory, the spinner kept the contest competitive, claiming the wickets of Sidra Ameen, Bismah Maroof and Aliya Riaz to trouble the tourists in their charge to victory.
A quieter second match followed before Akter again starred in the decisive third fixture. In the final game, she picked up 3/26 and helped Bangladesh restrict Pakistan to 166/9, laying the foundations for Akter’s teammates to seal the series with the bat in a seven-wicket victory.
Akter claimed the Player of the Series accolade after taking seven wickets at an impressive average of 14.14 across the three matches . The youngster is already Bangladesh’s greatest wicket-taker in T20Is and third-highest in ODIs.
“This is a moment to cherish. To be recognised by such a distinguished panel of cricket experts means a lot and winning the ICC Women Player of the Month award will be a massive source of inspiration and motivation for me,” Akter said, according to ICC.
“We have played some amazing cricket in recent months and I am so happy to have contributed to the successes we have tasted as a team. I must thank my captain, coaches and teammates for always believing in me and that has allowed me to play my natural game against quality opponents and perform under pressure,” she added.