Pakistan’s two-star performers and a high-profile West Indies batter have made their place in the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for August 2023. Pakistan skipper and two-time ICC Men’s Player of the Month winner Babar Azam will look to bag his third coveted price. The top-ranked ICC ODI batter continued his rich form and struck two fifties and a century. In Pakistan’s ODI series against Afghanistan, Babar struck two fifties in the final two matches. 

He brought up a 118-run stand with Imam-ul-Haq in the second ODI that laid the foundation for a thrilling last-over finale. Babar contributed 53 runs with the bat and was backed by Imam (91 runs) and the lower order. Babar didn’t stop there, he replicated his performance in the 3rd ODI with his exquisite knock of 60. His sublime batting skills were on display in the Asia Cup opener against Nepal. Babar’s knock of 151 made him the first captain in the Asia Cup to score 150 or more than that. 

The second Pakistan player to feature in the three-man shortlist is allrounder Shadab Khan. In the first ODI against Afghanistan, his 39 sent Pakistan to a respectable score of 201.  He continued to showcase his skills with the bat and his power-hitting prowess was on full display in the second ODI. 

The shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for August features:

_ Two Pakistan superstars

_ An explosive West Indies batter

Find out _
— ICC (@ICC) September 7, 2023

The third ODI brought out Shadab’s skills with the ball as he dismantled Nepal’s lower order and ended with figures of 4/27. The final player to feature in the list is the Carribean power hitter, Nicholas Pooran. The explosive batter played a pivotal role in ending WI’s six-year drought against India with a T20I series win by 3-2. 

The first T20I displayed his composure as his knock of 41 (34) propelled them to a competitive score of 149/6.  The second ODI demonstrated his explosiveness with the bat as he slammed 67 (40) which was covered in six fours and four sixes. His knock was enough to take away the entire game from the Men in Blue and hand WI with a 2-0 advantage.

After facing setbacks in the next two T20Is, Pooran marked his return with a game-changing knock of 47, which sealed the game as well as the series for the hosts.