Australian World Cup hero Travis Head, Bangladesh spinner Nahida Akter win ICC Player of the Month awards

Australia opener Travis Head and Bangladesh spinner Nahida Akter were on Monday named ICC’s ‘Player of the Month’ in the men’s and women’s categories respectively.

Head wins the accolade for his match-winning 137 off 120 deliveries in the ICC World Cup final that helped Australia recover from a shaky start and chase down the 241-run target set by India with six wickets and plenty of overs to spare, winning a record-extending sixth world title in the 50-over format in the process. He had earlier collected a brilliant catch off Glenn Maxwell’s bowling to dismiss India skipper Rohit Sharma, which would go on to become a match-defining moment.

The southpaw had nearly missed the World Cup bus after suffering an injury during Australia’s tour of South Africa in September. Head made a heroic return to action during Australia’s group stage meeting with New Zealand in Dharamsala, where he struck a whirlwond 109 in a high-scoring encounter. He also starred in the nervy three-wicket victory over the Proteas in the semi-final with two crucial wickets as well as a 48-ball 62.

The ODI World Cup final wasn’t the only time Head had thwarted India’s hopes of ending a decade-long wait for an ICC title; he had also starred in Australia’s 209-run victory over the Rohit-led side in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June with a knock of 163 in the first innings.

According to an official release from the ICC, Head staved off tough competition from teammate Maxwell and India pacer Mohammed Shami to win the award.

“It’s been an incredible 12 months for the team which it has been a real privilege to be a part of. The way we have navigated a home summer, away trips to India, England, South Africa, India and the World Cup has been great credit to Pat, the players and the staff,” Head said in the release.

“I was fortunate that they kept the faith in me for the World Cup after breaking my hand, so it was a great opportunity for me to pay them back. I felt the World Cup was amongst the best I have ever batted, so maybe having a rest before every campaign is the key.

“It’s a great honour to be recognised with this award, but it is a team effort. Without my team-mates across all formats this wouldn’t have happened; so these types of awards are as much for them as they are for me,” Head, who became only the second Australian to win the award after David Warner in November 2021, added.

Left-arm spinner Akter, meanwhile, became the first female player from Bangladesh to win the award, beating competition from teammate Fargana Hoque and Pakistan spinner Sadia Iqbal. Akter was the leading wicket-taker in the three-match ODI series against Pakistan at home, collecting seven wickets at an average of 14.14 and an economy of 3.43 as the Tigresses won the series 2-1 from 0-1 down.

Akter had also topped the wicket-takers’ list in the preceding T20I series against the same team that took place in October, collecting eight wickets at an average of 5.50 and an economy of 3.77.

“This is a moment to cherish,” Akter said in the release.

“To be recognised by such a distinguished panel of cricket experts mean a lot and winning the ICC Women Player of the Month award will be a massive source of inspiration and motivation for me.

“We have played some amazing cricket in recent months and I am so happy to have contributed to the successes we have tasted as a team. I must thank my captain, coaches and teammates for always believing in me and that has allowed me to play my natural game against quality opponents and perform under pressure,” the 23-year-old added.