The ICC announced in a media release that Nepal batsman Khushal Bhurtel was the other player nominated in the men's category, in addition to the Pakistan pair. Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt of Australia and Leigh Kasperek of New Zealand were among the women's cricket nominees.
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, was named the No. 1 batsman in the ICC ODI Player Rankings last month, ending India captain Virat Kohli's long reign at the top. Babar's match-winning 82-ball 94 in the third One-Day International against South Africa helped him earn 13 rating points, taking his total to a career-high 865.
In the third match of a T20I series against the same opposition, he scored 122 from 59 balls in Pakistan's successful chase. Fakhar, a compatriot, had a stellar month as well, scoring two centuries in the ODI series victory over South Africa, including a magnificent 193 in the second match in Johannesburg.Khushal, on the other hand, was the leading run-scorer for Nepal, which won a tri-series that also included the Netherlands and Malaysia. With the bat, he scored 278 runs, including four half-centuries in five games.
Alyssa played three One-Day Internationals against New Zealand, scoring 155 runs at an average of 51.66 and a strike rate of 98.72. Her efforts helped Australia win the series against New Zealand, extending their record-breaking winning streak to 24 ODIs.Megan, a colleague, became Australia's leading wicket-taker in the same series, with seven wickets at a 13.14 pace.
New Zealand's Leigh took nine wickets at an average of 7.77 in two One-Day Internationals against Australia, including a career-best six for 46 in the second match of the series. He then added three more wickets in the final match to end with nine wickets at an average of 7.77.