ICC introduces 'Player of the Month' awards

The ICC (International Cricket Council) - the body at the helm of cricket affairs - announced the ICC Player of the Month awards in a media release earlier today. This is intended to recognise and celebrate the best performances of male and female cricketers across all formats of international cricket.

An autonomous Voting Academy, comprising former cricketers, broadcasters, as well as journalists from around the globe, will join the fans in voting for the 'ICC Men’s Player of the Month' and 'ICC Women’s Player of the Month'.

ICC announces ‘Player of the Month’ awards 🎉Fans can have their say, alongside an expert panel!Register on the ICC website to vote on the first of each month 🗳️More 👇https://t.co/npYRT102dd

— ICC (@ICC) January 27, 2021

The world of cricket has been treated to some incredible cricketing performances and accomplishments in January - thereby making the inaugural player of the month award extremely competitive.

The month of January has seen some enthralling performances from debutants and youngsters like Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Rishabh Pant, T. Natarajan, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

January has also witnessed some established players like R Ashwin, Steven Smith, Joe Root, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, and Nida Dar pull off brilliant performances on the field.

Having said that, there will certainly be no shortage of candidates in contention for the award in January.

“The ICC Player of the Month is a great way to connect with fans of the sport and celebrate performances of their favourite players through the year. It gives us all an opportunity to acknowledge world class performances on the field by male and female cricketers and they have been in abundance throughout January.” said Geoff Allardice - the ICC General Manager

ICC introduces 'ICC Player of the Month' awards to recognise 'best performances'Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/Ol4o8dU7uH pic.twitter.com/mRTlzZHf7l

— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) January 27, 2021

ICC Awards Nomination and Voting Process

Every month, three nominees for each category would be decided by the ICC Awards Nominations Committee. These nominations would be based on performances and overall achievements of cricketers during a calendar month.

This nominated shortlist would next be voted for by the autonomous Voting Academy as well as cricket fans across the globe. The Voting Academy would submit their votes by email and will retain a 90% share in the total votes.

How and when can fans vote?

On the 1st day of each month, fans registered with ICC will be able to submit votes through ICC's official website. Fans will have a 10% share of the total votes.

Winners will be announced every second Monday of the month on all of ICC’s digital channels.