The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the shortlist of contenders in line to win the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards for April. The ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominees feature three leading all-rounders who played starring roles in last month’s hotly contested ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier in Pakistan.

Fatima Sana was in inspired form during April, leading Pakistan to secure a World Cup spot with a string of memorable performances during an unbeaten week on home soil. Kathryn Bryce also enjoyed a stellar month leading Scotland and finished as the competition’s leading run-scorer. Hayley Matthews of the West Indies completes the shortlist and will be aiming to win her fourth Player of the Month accolade, with both runs and wickets flowing throughout the month.

The ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist includes standout performers from the Bangladesh-Zimbabwe Test series and an emerging New Zealand pacer.

Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz made telling contributions with both bat and ball in Bangladesh’s tied Test series against Zimbabwe, earning his first nomination for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month. On the opposing side, Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani enjoyed significant success with the ball, helping his side secure a share of the spoils. New Zealand’s Ben Sears is the third and final nominee, following blistering spells in his side’s 3-0 ODI sweep over Pakistan.

An independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world are invited to cast their votes to decide the winners, who will be announced next week. Fans are voting for their favourite performers at icc-cricket.com/awards.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (BAN): Nominated for the first time for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award and aiming to become the first Bangladesh player to win since Shakib Al Hasan in March 2023. Mehidy enjoyed a prolific April with both bat and ball, finishing the two-Test series as Player of the Series. After claiming ten wickets in the opening defeat in Sylhet (five for 52 and five for 50), he scored 104 in Chattogram his second Test century, before taking another five-wicket haul to ensure the series ended in a draw.

Blessing Muzarabani (ZIM): The pacer became only the second Zimbabwean to reach 700 rating points in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings in April. He achieved the milestone with a Player of the Match performance in the first Test victory over Bangladesh, Zimbabwe’s first away Test win since 2021. Muzarabani took three wickets in the first innings and, with an 82-run lead, ripped through Bangladesh’s top and middle order in the second innings to claim six for 72, setting up a thrilling three-wicket win in Sylhet.

Ben Sears (NZ): Having made his ODI debut for New Zealand in February, Sears has already shown great promise, earning his maiden nomination for Men’s Player of the Month. Drafted in for the second of three matches against Pakistan, he starred alongside Jacob Duffy and Will O’Rourke to deliver a fearsome spell in Hamilton, taking his first ODI five-wicket haul (five for 59). He followed up in Mount Maunganui with figures of five for 34, earning Player of the Series honours in a commanding 43-run victory to seal a 3-0 sweep.

The three nominees in each category are shortlisted based on their performances from the first to the last day of the calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans worldwide. The ICC Voting Academy consists of prominent members of the cricket fraternity, including respected journalists, former players, broadcasters, and ICC Hall of Fame inductees. The Academy members submit their votes via email and account for 90 per cent of the final result. Fans registered with the ICC can vote through the ICC website, contributing the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced during the second week of each month on ICC’s digital platforms.