New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): Australian batting icon Steve Smith, Indian opener Shubman Gill and New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips were shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for February 2025 by ICC on Friday.
These picks were chosen considering some strong performances during the Australia tour of Sri Lanka, India’s home white-ball series against England, the tri-nation series between Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa in Pakistan, and the ICC Champions Trophy, as per the ICC.
Smith’s experience and excellence in Asia shone brightly during the Test series against Sri Lanka. He scored 141 and 131 in the two matches his side played there, with a strike-rate of 136.00. He was named Player of the Series in recognition of those efforts.
In the one-day series, he scored 12 and 29, and then, going into the ICC Champions Trophy – which turned out to be his last international tournament in the format – he got five against England and then 19 not out against Afghanistan.
Coming to Gill, in his five ODIs over the course of February, he made 406 runs, averaging 101.50 at a strike-rate of 94.19.
That included three great knocks against England in their three-match series – 87 in Nagpur, 60 in Cuttack, and 112 in Ahmedabad, which earned him the ‘Player of the Series’ award, the number one ranking spot in ICC ODI Rankings and plenty of momentum ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.
It was no surprise that his first knock in the tournament was an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh, followed by a valuable 46 against Pakistan.
Finally, always brilliant in the field, Phillips weighed in with the bat over the month for the Black Caps. In five one-day internationals, he scored 236 runs at a strike-rate of 124.21. He also picked up one wicket.
His contributions–and three unbeaten knocks–helped New Zealand win the tri-series in Pakistan. They scored 106 against Pakistan in Lahore, 28 against South Africa at the same venue, and 20 against Pakistan in Karachi in the final.
He carried that momentum into the Champions Trophy, beginning with 61 against hosts Pakistan in Karachi, and then another unbeaten inning of 21 against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. (ANI)
