Australia opener David Warner on Monday was voted as the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for November 2021 after his match-winning performances in Australia’s successful T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE. Warner beat Pakistan opener Abid Ali and New Zealand fast bowler, Tim Southee for the award.

Warner was the Player of the Tournament at the marquee event, following a series of stunning displays that helped Australia to the title. In all, he scored 289 runs at an average of 48.16 and a strike rate of 146.70 in seven matches. Four of those came in the period under consideration for the award, during which he scored 209 runs at a stunning strike rate of 151.44.

He scored a half-century in the final against New Zealand, a crucial 49 in the semi-final against Pakistan, and was named Player of the Match in the Super 12 clash against West Indies when he smashed an unbeaten 89.

Warner was also named the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup as he returned to form to inspire Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title.

“David was back to his scintillating best during the T20 WC and his aggression at the top of the order was outstanding,” said Russel Arnold, member of the voting panel.

“His 209 runs at a strike rate of 151 in four innings simply tells the story. There was no recovering from the early onslaught by Warner and his stroke play was pleasing to the eye.”

It has been a remarkable turnaround for Warner as he endured a difficult phase in the lead up to the World Cup. Warner’s place in the side was uncertain as he had failed in the warm-up matches after having been dropped from the SunRisers Hyderabad XI during the IPL 2021. Warner also lost the captaincy of SRH and had stayed back at the team hotel for a couple of matches before he was dropped. SRH did not retain their former captain for IPL 2022.

However, Warner stepped up at the biggest of the stages, leading Australia from the front with the bat at the T20 World Cup.

Matthews wins Women’s Player of the Month Award

For the women’s award, Hayley Matthews emerged victorious over Pakistan’s Anam Amin and Bangladesh’s Nahida Akter. In four ODIs in November three in the bilateral series against Pakistan and one in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier against Ireland Matthews scored 141 runs and claimed nine wickets, including a stunning 4/26 against Pakistan in Karachi.

This is the second time Matthews has been nominated for the Player of the Month award she was last in contention for the award in July, when the West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor won the prize.