ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced the nominees for the Player of the Month awards for January 2025, featuring Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali.
The ICC Player of the Month award recognizes outstanding individual performances on the international stage. The nominees are a trio of spinners who have shone brightly across different formats.
Alongside Noman Ali, the list features the West Indies’ crafty left-arm spinner, Jomel Warrican, and India’s enigmatic spinner, Varun Chakravarthy.
Warrican delivered a stunning performance, propelling the West Indies to a thrilling draw in their two-match Test series against Pakistan. In the first Test, he notched career-best bowling figures of 10/101 and contributed a resilient 31 not out.
He followed this up in the second Test with a stellar outing, claiming four wickets in the first innings and a five-wicket haul in the second, culminating in remarkable match figures of 9/70. His all-round prowess helped secure a victory in the second Test, closing the series on a high note.
Across both matches, Warrican amassed 85 runs at an impressive average of 42.50 while claiming nine wickets at an astonishing average of nine, earning him the coveted Player of the Series title.
Meanwhile, Noman Ali continued to dazzle as Pakistan’s frontline bowler against the West Indies. He made his mark in the first Test with six wickets for 81 runs but truly stole the spotlight in the second Test.
Noman achieved a historic hat-trick, becoming the first Pakistani spinner to do so in Test history, taking six wickets in the first innings. He capped off his exceptional performance with four wickets in the second innings, finishing with outstanding match figures of 10/121, and taking a total of 16 wickets at a remarkable average of 12.62.
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The third nominee, Varun Chakravarthy, maintained his dazzling form during four home T20Is against England in January. He made an immediate impact in the first match at Eden Gardens, where he claimed 3 wickets for 23 runs, earning the Player of the Match accolade.
In Chennai, he was economical, allowing 38 runs while claiming crucial scalps of Harry Brook and Jamie Overton. His brilliance shone brightest in Rajkot during the third T20I, where he spun a web around the English batsmen, taking five wickets for just 24 runs.
He followed this up with two more wickets in the fourth T20I in Pune. Overall, Varun Chakravarthy finished the series with a staggering 12 wickets at an average of 9.41 and an exceptional economy rate of 7.01.
