Bengaluru, April 13: India's swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Player of the Month for March 2021, for his impressive performances in the recently concluded series against England.
The 31-year-old, who plies his trade with the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was the standout bowler on either side in the white-ball series and was chosen the winner for the month by fans and the ICC voting academy.
"After what seemed like a really long and painful gap, I was delighted to be playing for India again. I used the time away to work on my fitness and skill and I'm happy to be back taking wickets for my country," Bhuvneshwar told ICC media.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar nominated for ICC monthly award after exploits against England
"I would like to thank each and every person who helped me in this journey starting from my family and friends and my team-mates. Also, a special thank you to the ICC voting academy and all the fans who voted for me and made me the ICC Men's Player of the Month for March," the UP seamer added.
Commenting on Bhuvneshwar's performance in March, VVS Laxman representing the ICC Voting Academy said: "Bhuvi missed nearly a year and a half of international cricket through multiple unrelated injuries, but you would never have guessed. He was outstanding in both the PowerPlay overs and at the death in the white-ball formats against a powerful, aggressive England batting line-up. Economical and penetrative, he was instrumental in shaping Indian triumphs in both series."
The corresponding honour in the women's section went to South Africa's Lizelle Lee.
ICC announce Players of the Month for March 2021 👇https://t.co/XvgdLUsKnA
— ICC (@ICC) April 13, 2021
Lee played four ODIs against India where she scored a century and two half-centuries to move to the top.
"I'm happy and honoured to receive this award. Such accolades are a great way to keep me motivated and to continue to work even harder on my game. A big thank you to my team-mates for their support as this would never have been possible without them."
Commenting on Lee's performance in March, Ramiz Raja representing the ICC Voting Academy added: "It isn't easy scoring those many runs in alien batting conditions. It's always a challenge to adjust from bouncy pitches to slow low turning tracks and Lizelle did magnificently."
(With ICC Media inputs)