Shafali Verma, only Indian among ICC Player of the Month for December nominees

India opener Shafali Verma headlines the women’s shortlist for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards for December, with the explosive batter being rewarded for a dominant T20I series at home, while Australia’s Mitchell Starc, New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy and West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves feature in the men’s nominees.

Shafali’s inclusion comes after a sensational run against Sri Lanka, where the 20-year-old set the tone at the top of the order with fearless strokeplay. The Indian opener aggregated 241 runs in five T20Is at a staggering strike rate of 181.20, finishing the series with three half-centuries. Her consistency and attacking intent earned her the Player of the Seriesaward as India swept the contest 3-0.

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Shafali’s performances stood out as India continued to build momentum ahead of major international assignments, with the opener reaffirming her status as one of the most destructive batters in the women’s game.

Joining Shafali on the women’s shortlist are South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt and former skipper Sune Luus, both of whom enjoyed prolific outings against Ireland. Wolvaardt piled up 255 runs in three ODIs at a strike rate of 111.84 and added 137 runs in two T20Is at an astonishing strike rate of 190.27, including a 115 not out in the opening T20I. She followed that up with unbeaten scores of 124 and 100 in the ODIs to claim the Player of the Series award.

Luus also impressed with her all-round contributions, scoring 205 runs and taking four wickets in the ODIs, while adding 118 runs and four wickets in the T20Is, including figures of 4 for 22 in the first T20I.

In the men’s category, Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc is in contention after a strong Ashes showing, where he claimed 16 wickets in three Tests at an average of 21.25 and contributed 139 runs with the bat. His standout performance came in the second Test in Brisbane, where he picked up eight wickets and scored 77, earning the Player of the Match award.

New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy also makes the shortlist following a match-winning series against the West Indies, where he took 23 wickets at 15.43 to finish as Player of the Series. West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves completes the men’s nominees after scoring an unbeaten 202 and finishing the month with 283 runs and five wickets in three Tests.