ICC honors Noman Ali as player of the month

Pakistan’s spinner Noman Ali has triumphed over a strong field to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for October 2024.

Noman was instrumental in Pakistan’s thrilling 2-1 victory over England in the ICC World Test Championship series in October, taking 20 wickets at an average of 13.85 across two Test wins. His standout performances helped Pakistan recover from an early defeat to clinch the series.

The left-arm bowler edged out South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner to claim the honor, becoming the first Pakistani male cricketer to win the award since Babar Azam in August 2023.

“I am thrilled to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month and deeply thankful to my teammates who supported me in delivering my best performances to help Pakistan win this historic home Test series against England,” said Noman. “It’s always exciting to be part of such memorable victories for your country.”

Noman’s match-changing contributions included remarkable figures of 11/147 and 9/130 across his two Test appearances. His efforts were key to Pakistan’s comeback after losing the first Test, leading them to their first home Test series win in three years.

In the second Test, with Pakistan setting a 297-run target for England, Noman was pivotal in the team’s defense, delivering career-best figures of 8/46 to secure the victory and end a three-year home series win drought.

Noman’s impact continued in the final Test in Rawalpindi, where, batting at No.9 with Pakistan at 177/7, he contributed a vital 45 runs to help his team gain a crucial 77-run lead. Pakistan ultimately won the match by nine wickets, with Noman adding to his heroics with the ball, taking six wickets to dismiss England for just 112.