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Pakistan captain Babar Azam, England's star batter Harry Brook and Australia batter Travis Head have been nominated for ICC Men's Player of the Month December 2022, the International Cricket Council announced on Thursday.
Three countries are represented in the shortlist for the ICC Men's Player of the Month Award, as batting reigned supreme. The Pakistan skipper Babar Azam continues to enjoy a fine run of form with bat in hand, filling his boots against England and the start of the New Zealand series. Making runs in all four Tests he played, Babar showcased his consistency even with the burden of captaincy, making a pair of hundreds and three scores of half-centuries in eight knocks. His 136 on day three of the first Test in Rawalpindi, hitting 19 fours and a six, helped his side to 579. He went on to score three fifties in four innings in the second and third Test matches in Multan and Karachi, finishing the series with 348 runs. Babar returned to Karachi for the first Test against New Zealand, where he batted in the first innings for 161 runs in a six-hour stint. Given licence to attack in the middle order, Harry Brook has enjoyed a fine first year of Test cricket, helping England secure a famous Test series victory in Pakistan. England's Brook has shortlisted thanks to a breakout month with the bat, scoring centuries in each of their Tests during the 3-0 series victory in Pakistan. Brook compiled thumping centuries in all three of England's wins on the tour, and finished with 468 runs at a staggering average of 93.60 across December. The first Test in Rawalpindi was just the second of the 23-year-old's career, though the right-hander's proactive, assertive approach made him look an experienced campaigner. The final contender is Australia's Travis Head, who excelled in their WTC series against both West Indies and South Africa, scoring consistently throughout. Head finished with 455 runs at an average of 91 with one century in Australia's four Test matches played this month, as well as two wickets in the team's first Test win over the West Indies. After falling a run short of a century in the first match, he bounced back with a thumping knock of 175 from just 219 balls on his home ground, laced with 20 fours. He went on to score a pair of fifties in the first two Tests against South Africa, helping the team to 24 World Test Championship points and a 2-0 series lead. (ANI)
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