Bangladesh fast bowler Ebadot Hossain was predictably nominated for the ICC Player of the Month award for his outstanding performance, which saw Bangladesh win their first Test against New Zealand last month.

Ebadot claimed six for 46 in the second innings of the first Test to script Bangladesh’s eight-wicket win which was also Tigers first ever win on New Zealand soil. Bangladesh later was beaten in the second Test to be satisfied with a 1-1 draw in the series. But it was a landmark series for the Tigers as the victory came at a moment when their Test performance took a massive nosedive.

Under-19 future star Dewald Brevis from South Africa and Keegan Petersen from South Africa also were nominated alongside Ebadot to be best player for the month of January.

ICC however wrote about Ebadot: “Eleven Tests, 18 wickets and a career-best of 6 for 46, made Ebadot Hossain the newest sensation of Bangladesh cricket. The 27-year old’s maiden five-wicket haul helped Bangladesh inflict a huge historic eight wicket win over the ICC World Test champions New Zealand in the first Test at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui last month.

Ebadot Hossain came into the Test match with 11 wickets in 10 games after making his international debut against the Kiwis in 2019. In the first innings, Hossain picked just one wicket for 75 runs but when the Kiwis batted for a second time, Ebadot Hossain delivered his career best performance, as the right-arm pacer dismissed Will Young, Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell within a space of 11 balls to put Bangladesh on top at stumps on Day 4.”

From Bangladesh earlier, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasum Ahmed and female cricketer Nahida Akter got nominated for the Player of the Month award. Amongst them, Shakib and Mushfiqur finally won the prestigious award.

The women’s category featured captain of the Sri Lankan T20I squad, Chamari Athapaththu, West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin, and captain of the England squad Heather Knight.

The three nominees for either category are shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters, and members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC’s digital channels.