ICC Players of the Month for October

Pakistan's Asif Ali and Ireland's Laura Delany voted the ICC Players of the Month for October. They were named the ICC male and female players for October on Tuesday.

Asif Ali:

Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and Namibia's David Wiese were nominees as well. Pakistan batter Asif Ali beat them to win the men's title. Asif scored 52 runs in 3 matches during the T20 World Cup at a strike rate of 273.68. He hit 27* runs in 12 balls that helped to conquer New Zealand. He grabbed a lot of attention after this knock. Asif's next knock against Afghanistan made him very popular and a person of fame. Pakistan needed 24 runs in the last 2 overs against Afghanistan. And Ali hit 4 sixes in the 19^th over. Also, he remained unbeaten in all matches.

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ICC Voting Academy member Irfan Pathan said on his winning, "Helping your team to win, especially from the jaws of defeat is what makes Asif Ali special. And he did that not just once but twice. Although he scored considerably less than other two nominated players, the contribution he made and the pressure situations from where he snatched the victories made all the difference."

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Laura Delany:

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Laura Delany's teammate Gaby Lewis and Zimbabwe's Mary-Anne Musonda were nominated along with her for this esteemed position. Delany prevailed over them and won the player award for October. The Ireland skipper played exceptionally in their ODI series against Zimbabwe. Ireland ended the series with a 3-1. The all-rounder excelled with both bat and ball. She scored 189 runs at an average of 63 and scaped 4 wickets at 27.

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ICC Voting Academy member Lisa Sthalekar said on her winning, "Laura has been playing international cricket for over a decade and has the difficult task of captaining her country, which carries a great weight of expectation. "

She also added, "I have been following her career, ever since I played alongside her in the Gordon Women's Club in Sydney and watched her development. This recent series was a breakout series for her as she was able to register her highest ODI score and is a worthy recipient of the ICC Women's Player of the Month for October."