Dubai, Nov 6 (IANS) Three spinners – Rashid Khan, Noman Ali and Senuran Muthusamy – have been nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for October.

Left-arm spinners Noman of Pakistan and Muthusamy of South Africa have been shortlisted after helping win a match each for their respective teams in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series in Pakistan that ended in a 1-1 draw. Leg-spinner Rashid makes it based on performances in white-ball cricket.

The Afghan supremo was in sensational form across October, starring in limited-overs series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

In the five T20Is he played during the month, he picked up nine wickets with a remarkable economy rate of 4.82. His standout performances included figures of 4/18 in the first T20I against Bangladesh and 3/9 in the second T20I against Zimbabwe.

However, his true dominance was on display in the ODI series against Bangladesh, where his brilliance powered Afghanistan to a 3-0 series win. The 27-year-old picked up 11 wickets at an astonishing economy of 2.73, proving to be the biggest challenge for the Bangladeshi batters. He collected three wickets each in the first and third ODIs, but his best performance came in the second match, where he finished with figures of 5/17.

He also scored 24 runs with the bat at a strike rate of 171.42 in T20Is and further nine runs in ODIs, rounding out a solid month.

Muthusamy was the standout performer as South Africa drew their Test series against Pakistan, shining with both bat and ball and playing pivotal roles in both ICC World Test Championship contests.

In the first Test, he recorded career-best figures of 11/174, taking six wickets in the first innings and five in the second. Despite his remarkable effort, South Africa fell short, losing the match in Lahore by 93 runs.

In the second Test, Muthusamy’s batting brilliance came to the fore. He had two crucial lower-order partnerships with Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 89, his highest Test score to date. The knock proved vital in giving South Africa a first-innings lead and eventually sealing the win.

Across the two Tests in October, Muthusamy scored 106 runs at an average of 53 and claimed 11 wickets at a stunning average of 18.36, earning him the well-deserved Player of the Series award.

Noman Ali continued his recent dominance in red-ball cricket with another stellar series for Pakistan. The No. 3-ranked ICC Men’s Test Bowler proved his mettle once again, picking up 14 wickets at an impressive average of 23.07 in the two-Test series against South Africa.

In the first Test in Lahore, he achieved his third 10-wicket haul in Test cricket, registering figures of 6/112 in the first innings and 4/79 in the second. His outstanding spell helped Pakistan win the first Test by 93 runs.

In the Rawalpindi Test, Noman remained solid, picking a total of four wickets. He also contributed 17 runs with the bat. His efforts made him the highest wicket-taker in the series.

–IANS

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