Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj has been named International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month for April.
Maharaj beat teammate Simon Harmer and Oman’s Jatinder Singh to the prize and says: “I’m honoured and privileged to receive the ICC Player of the Month award for April and I want to thank my teammates for helping me win this award.
“I’m really happy with how the team has performed this past season and I hope we can build on this to reach greater heights as a unit.”
Keshav Maharaj 🔥
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) May 9, 2022
2⃣ matches
1⃣6⃣ wickets
2⃣ seven wicket-hauls
1⃣0⃣8⃣ runs scored
A deserved ICC Player of the Month for April 👏#BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/aA1MaOxHYV
Maharaj was in red-hot form during the Test series visit against Bangladesh. The 32-year-old Durbanite not only took 16 wickets at an average of 12.12, but also helped his team with bat in hand.
Maharaj scored 108 runs in the two-match series, including a career-best 84 runs in the first innings of the second Test.
Of his performances, member of the voting panel and ICC Hall of Famer Lisa Sthalekar says: “Keshav was key to South Africa’s success in the series. The amount of wickets he claimed at crucial times was exceptional and his valuable runs were among the main reasons they defeated Bangladesh.”
Australia’s Alyssa Healy walked away with the women’s award.