The world's top all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Month award for July. Shakib Al Hasan was awarded Man of the Series for his outstanding performance in the recently ended T20I series against Australia. However, his performance in the Australia series will not be counted because the award will be granted based on July's performance. The other two nominees are Australia's Mitchell Marsh and West Indian leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr. In this article, we discussed why Shakib Al Hasan is the favourite to win the ICC Player of the Month award for July?

Who are the nominees for the ICC Player of the Month award for July?

Shakib Al Hasan, Mitchell Marsh, and Hayden Walsh Jr. were all nominated and performed well for their respective countries in July. As a result, they are deserving of this recognition. Let's take a look at how they fared in the month of July.

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Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) 

Test: 1 | Runs: 3 | Wkts: 5 | BBI: 4/82 | Econ: 2.10

ODI:3 | Runs: 145 | Ave: 72.50 | HS: 96* | Wkts: 8 | BBI: 5/30| Ave: 14.75 

T20I: 3| Runs: 37 | Wkts: 3 | BBI: 1/24 | Econ: 7.57 

Shakib Al Hasan was excellent with the ball during the Zimbabwe trip. He took 16 wickets in eight innings across all formats. Shakib's best bowling figures on the tour (5/30) came in the One-Day International series. He also had several crucial innings, including a 96-run knock in the second ODI, which helped Bangladesh clinch the series with a game in hand.

Shakib Al Hasan took 5 wickets in the Test series, helping Bangladesh win their first-ever Test series in Zimbabwe. The world's best all-rounder failed with the bat during the Twenty20 International series. He was crucial with the ball, picking up three wickets at an economy rate of 7.57.

Shakib Al Hasan was awarded Player of the Series in the ODI format, and his impact on the Zimbabwe tour was undeniable. That's why the ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is the favourite to win the ICC Player of the Month award for July.

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Mitchell Marsh (Australia)

T20I: 5 | Runs: 219 | HS: 75 | SR: 152.08 | Wkts: 8 | BBI: 3/24 | Econ: 6.76 

ODI: 3 | Runs: 57 | HS: 29 | Wkts:1 | BBI: 1/7 | Econ: 4.33

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh had a fantastic tour in the West Indies. He scored 219 runs with a strike rate of 152.08 and took 8 wickets in the five-match T20I series. Despite his efforts, Australia were defeated 4-1 by the Windies in the series.

Mitchell only scored 57 runs and took one wicket in three One-Day Internationals. Mitchell would have been the favourite to win ICC's best player of the month award if his Australian side had won at least one series in the West Indies during the tour.

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Hayden Walsh Jr. (West Indies) 

T20I: 5 | Wkts: 12 | BBI: 3/23 | Econ:7.00

ODI: 3 | Wkts: 7 | BBI: 5/39 | Econ:4.14 

Leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr. was the most crucial bowler for the Windies during the Australia series. He helped the Windies win the T20I series 4-1 by taking 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.  Hayden was named player of the series for his excellent bowling performance. 

The talented spinner also took 7 wickets in the ODI series. Hayden Walsh Jr. would be Shakib's main competitor for the ICC Player of the Month award for July.

Verdict 

Shakib Al Hasan is the favorite to win the ICC Player of the Month award for July because Shakib played a key part in Bangladesh's one-off Test and three-match ODI series victory over Zimbabwe last month.On the other side, Mitchell Marsh was Australia's most successful player in the ODI and T20I series against the Windies. While Hayden Walsh Jr. was the most successful bowler for the Windies in the series against Australia.The ICC Player of the Month award for July is expected to go to the best player.

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