Bates, Dean nominated for ICC Women's Player of the Month Award for December
Jan 05, 2023
Dubai [UAE], January 5 : New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates and England all-rounder Charlie Dean and Australia's Ashleigh Gardner have been shortlisted for the ICC Women's Player of the Month Award for December 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday.
The nominees for the ICC Women's Player of the Month had remarkable form during their respective short format series in December.
New Zealand icon Suzie Bates celebrates her first nomination for the award after a glut of runs helped her team secure T20I and ODI series victories over Bangladesh.
Bates scored 70 runs at an average of 23.33 as New Zealand won the T20I component of the series 3-0 at the start of the month, before producing even better results in the 50-over matches.
The former White Ferns captain smashed an unbeaten 93 in Wellington to set New Zealand on the right track, then added another half-century in the series finale in Hamilton to help her side maintain their dominance.
Charlie Dean is shortlisted for the award after her superb form inspired England on their successful white-ball tour of West Indies.
During her time in the Caribbean in December, England's future star helped herself to 18 wickets in two white-ball series against the West Indies.
Dean took seven wickets at a meagre 8.57 average during the three-match ODI series at the start of the month, and she surpassed those astounding figures during the T20I series.
The 22-year-old played in four of the five T20I matches and finished as the leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps at an average of 5.90.
Dean's economy rate was also excellent in both series, with the right-armer allowing only 2.92 runs per over in the 50-over matches and 4.64 in the shorter format.
The lineup is completed by Ashleigh Gardner, whose brilliance for Australia in their T20I series victory against India helped her reach the summit of the ICC Women's T20I Player rankings for all-rounders.
Gardner not only won the Player of the Series award for her performances during Australia's dominant 4-1 series victory, but she also reached the pinnacle by becoming the No. 1 ranked all-rounder in women's T20 cricket.
Gardner scored 115 runs at a 57.50 average during the India series, with her unbeaten 66* in the series' fifth and final match in Mumbai being the highlight.
Gardner's contributions were not limited to the bat; the astute right-arm spinner took seven wickets at a little more than 18 runs per over during the series.
