Rabada, Noman, Santner to fight for ICC Men's Player of the Month award for October 2024

It's going to be an all-out battle between the bowlers, with speedster Kagiso Rabada and spinners Noman Ali and Mitchell Santner competing for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for October 2024.The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Tuesday unveiled the nominees for the October 2024 Player of the Month award. Seasoned spinner Nomal Ali made an everlasting impression during Pakistan's historic 2-1 Test series triumph over England last month.

The 38-year-old was brought in for the second and the third Test as Pakistan tried to turn around their quest for the first series win in the format on home soil since February 2021. Noman racked up a combined 20 wickets in the two Tests with figures of 11/147 and 9/130. His mastery in the art of spin was the epicentre of Pakistan's 2-1 series win over England. The left-arm orthodox spinner hit his best Test figures, claiming 8/46, which played a significant role in Pakistan ending its three-year series win drought.

Noman's efforts were not just limited to the ball. In the third Test, when the hosts were reduced to 177/7, he produced a resilient 45-run knock, which allowed Pakistan to take a crucial 77-run lead in the first innings. South Africa's famed speedster Kagiso Rabada moved to the ICC Men's Test Bowlers rankings after his sensational display with the ball after the Proteas whitewashed Bangladesh.

During South Africa's 2-0 Test series win, Rabada scythed 14 scalps at a stunning average of 9.00, including two remarkable five-wicket hauls in the away Test series. While New Zealand's Mitchell Santner played a single Test throughout October but enjoyed a clinical outing with the ball. The experienced all-rounder was fielded in the second Test against India, and his contribution led to the Kiwis sealing a historic series win.

In the second Test, the southpaw orchestrated India's downfall by dismantling the Indian batting line-up in both innings. He ended the Test with two five-wicket hauls with an impressive average of 12.07. In the first innings, he added 33 runs on the board to propel New Zealand's total to 259. He returned with the ball and ran through Indian batters to take a crucial 103-run lead with his career-best Test figures of 7/53.

The 32-year-old added another six wickets to his tally and ended the Test with sensational figures of 13/157 and was adjudged Player of the Match. (ANI)