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Two in-form batters and a record-breaking spinner will vie for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award after a string of stellar performances during April.
Fakhar Zaman led the charge for Pakistan as they pulled off their second-highest ODI run chase in Rawalpindi late in the month. The opener smashed an unbeaten 180 to help Pakistan chase down an imposing target of 337 against the visiting New Zealand to go 2-0 up in the series. Fakhar's knock was studded with 17 boundaries and six massive sixes as Pakistan won with 10 balls to spare in a high-scoring contest. This was the left-hander's second ton in as many matches during April, with his 117 off 114 balls helping Pakistan chase down 289 in the first game at the same venue. Fakhar led the run-chase from the onset and was dismissed in the 43rd over, by which time the hosts were well on course to victory. He won the Player of the Match award for his efforts. The left-hander started the month with a rapid 47 in the first T20I in Lahore against New Zealand, playing a stellar hand in the home side's thumping 88-run victory. While he did not click in the next two T20I matches, Fakhar struck form again in the ODIs, a format he has always revelled in. The Pakistan opener now has 3,082 ODI runs at an average of 49.71 and a strike rate of almost 95 in his 67-match career. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya completed 50 wickets in seven Tests, claiming the record for reaching the landmark in fewer matches than any other spinner in the longest format. The left-arm spinner, who picked up 17 wickets in the two-match Test series against Ireland in Galle, reached the landmark of 50 Test wickets in the second match of the series after he had Paul Stirling, a centurion from the first innings, caught on the final day of the game. Jayasuriya began his Test career with an impressive 12-wicket match haul against Australia and currently has six five-wicket hauls in seven Test matches. He picked up a career-best haul of 7/52 in April in the first Test of the series against Ireland and added three more in the second innings to make it his second match haul of 10 wickets or more. Despite Ireland making 492 in the first innings of the second, Jayasuriya was the standout bowler, sending down 58.3 overs for his five wickets. By reaching the landmark of 50 Test wickets in just his seventh match, Jayasuriya dwarfed the record held by spinner Alf Valentine. He also joined the ranks of Vernon Philander of South Africa and Tom Richardson of England as the joint-second-fastest overall to reach this milestone. New Zealand batter Mark Chapman also produced sizzling performances in the T20I series against Pakistan, helping the visitors come from behind to level the five-match series. Chapman smashed unbeaten knocks of 71 off 42 deliveries and 104 off 57 balls in the fourth and fifth T20Is respectively to finish with 290 runs in the bilateral series. He was the top scorer for New Zealand in a losing cause in the first match of the series, striking 34 off 27 balls. The left-hander followed it up with an unbeaten 65 off 40 balls in the second match, with four fours and four sixes even as the visitors went down by 38 runs. Chapman, however, saved his best for the last as he struck a maiden T20I hundred in the final match, helping New Zealand chase down 194 to draw the series level. His stunning performances saw Chapman rise 48 places in the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings to the 35th position with 537 points. (ANI)
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