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Innocent Kurira 

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LADY Chevrons’ cricket team star all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu fell short of winning the ICC Player of the Month award for April which was eventually won by Thailand skipper Na ruemol Chaiwai.

Chaiwai emerged victorious from Kavisha Egodage of UAE in the voting process and became the first Thai player to be named ICC Player of the Month.

She celebrates winning the accolade following a consistent spell of high-scoring across Thailand’s historic ODI series victory against Zimbabwe, which the hosts won 3-0.

The Thai skipper was named Player-of-the-Series for two unbeaten half-centuries en route to the series win.

In the opening match, striding to the crease at 21 for four, Chaiwai’s valuable 57 not out salvaged a defendable total for the hosts, who were able to then skittle the tourists cheaply for a 78-run victory.

The second of her important contributions came in the final ODI. A low-scoring affair on a challenging surface, Chaiwai came to the crease at 29 for two, but her 52 from 60 balls was enough to secure the sweep for Thailand.

An independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world were invited to cast their votes to decide the winners.

Ndhlovu was the second Zimbabwean woman to be shortlisted for the accolade after national team captain Mary-Anne Musonda, who was the first to achieve the feat in October 2021.

Former Zimbabwe international and ICC Player of the Month voting panel member, Grant Flower feels it was a deserved award for Chaiwai. 

“Chaiwai demonstrated very good batting skills throughout the month as well as being a fine tactician, and she led the Thailand team extremely well against a competitive Zimbabwe team.”

The 17-year-old all-rounder, Ndhlovu, has made an impressive start to her international career, including appearances at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa.

Making her ODI debut for Zimbabwe Women last month, Ndhlovu adapted well against a strong Thailand Women outfit, taking 10 wickets at an average of 5.80 despite her side suffering a series defeat.

Her highlight came in the first showdown in Bangkok, where she picked up five wickets for 22 runs.

Following up with three for 17 and two for 19 in the second and third ODIs respectively, Ndhlovu continues to thrive on the international stage.

Pakistan opening batsman Fakhar Zaman bagged the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award beating other nominees, Prabath Jayasuriya and Mark Chapman.

The 33-year-old was in destructive form during New Zealand’s recently concluded white-ball tour of Pakistan. 

After a modest T20I series,  Zaman was at his belligerent best in the ODI series, scoring 363 runs at an average of 90.75 and a strike rate of 99.45

— @innocentskizoe