Bangladesh cricketer Shakib al Hasan and West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor were picked by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the Player of the Month for July in the men’s and women’s categories respectively.

Shakib was instrumental in all three formats of the game. His contributions helped Bangladesh register a series win against Zimbabwe in July.

The all-rounder scored an unbeaten 96 in Bangladesh’s three-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the second ODI at the Harare Sports Club.

Also read: New milestones for Shakib as Australia post lowest T20I total vs Bangladesh

In the T20 series against Zimbabwe, Hasan picked three wickets at an economy rate of 7. Bangladesh won the T20 series against Zimbabwe. Hasan also sits on the top of the rankings of all-rounders in men’s T20 cricket.

“It is very humbling to be voted ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July 2021. There have been many outstanding performances during the month and that is why this is special for me,” said Shakib, who edged out Australia’s Mitchell Marsh and West Indies’ Hayden Walsh Jr.

“I find most pleasure and satisfaction when I contribute to wins and therefore, I am very happy to have helped in Bangladesh’s successes over the last few weeks.”

Also read: Bangladesh create history, secure first bilateral series win vs Australia

West Indies all-rounder Taylor, who led her team in the ODI and T20I series win against Pakistan in July, was nominated for the award alongside teammate Hayley Matthews and Pakistan’s Fatima Sana but her all-round performance in the series helped her claim the most votes.

“This is a bit surprising to me, winning ICC Player of the Month award for July, but I’m happy. It shows that the hard work you put in, will pay off and it did, against Pakistan, to help us win that series. We played well in both formats,” Taylor said.

“I’m over in England now playing in The Hundred, which is a different kind of competition, played at a faster pace, but I’m still working hard. We’re also looking forward to the series against South Africa at home, and we will be looking to win that as well. I want to thank the fans for all their support, as it is always appreciated.” In the four ODIs against Pakistan, Taylor scored 175 runs with a strike rate of 79.18 and took three wickets with an economy rate of 3.72. She was also on top of the rankings for batters and all-rounders in the ICC Women’s ODI Rankings earlier in July.