Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Picture Credit: Getty Images
Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and South African opener Lizelle Lee have won the ICC Player of the Month Award for March in men’s and women’s categories respectively. Both the players delivered terrific performances in March 2021 for their respective teams. While Bhuvi was impressive in the recently concluded series against England, Lee hogged the limelight in the series against India. Both have expressed their happiness on being adjudged the winner of the monthly award launched recently.
I was delighted to be playing for India again: Bhuvi
Reacting to the win, Bhuvi said, “After what seemed like a really long and painful gap, I was delighted to be playing for India again. I used the time away to work on my fitness and skill and I am happy to be back taking wickets for my country. I would like to thank each and every person who helped me in this journey starting from my family and friends and my teammates. Also, a special thank you to the ICC voting academy and all the fans who voted for me and made me the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March.”
Kohli, Vaughan had expressed surprise at Bhuvneshwar missing out on Player of the Series
After an impactful performance in the three-match ODI series against England, India captain Virat Kohli as well as former England cricketer Michael Vaughan had expressed surprise over Bhuvneshwar not getting the Man of the Series award. In a series dominated by batsmen, Bhuvi not only scalped six wickets but even kept it tight. He is currently plying his trade for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
Happy and honoured to receive this award: Lizelle Lee
South Africa star Lizelle Lee also expressed her delight on getting the honour. “Such accolades are a great way to keep me motivated and to continue to work even harder on my game,” she said. Lee played four ODIs against India last month and scored a century and two half-centuries.
