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Mayank Agarwal nominated for ICC Player of the Month award for December

Mayank Agarwal was joined on the shortlist by New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc.

By Nilavro Ghosh | Jan 8, 2022 | 3 Min Read

Following his outstanding performance in the Test series against New Zealand and South Africa, India opener Mayank Agarwal was nominated for the ICC Player of the Month award for December on Saturday. Agarwal was joined on the shortlist by New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc. Agarwal seized the opportunity against New Zealand and South Africa after habitual openers Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul all missed games at some point last month. He scored 276 runs at an average of 69.00 in two matches, including two fifties and a century.

With a match-winning effort of 150 and 62 in the two innings against New Zealand in Mumbai, Agarwal was the architect of the victory. He was also instrumental in India breaking the Centurion curse for the first time.

KL Rahul and Agarwal, batting first in cloudy circumstances, set the tone with a superb opening combination of 117. He was put to the test by the fierce Proteas pace attack during the stand, but he came out on top with a superb 60. In the first innings, India scored 327 runs, which proved to be the difference between the two teams.

Ajaz Patel’s history-making performance

Ajaz Patel, an India-born Kiwi spinner, made cricketing history in December when he took 10 wickets in an innings against India, becoming only the third player in Test history to do so after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble. In the month, the left-arm spinner only played one Test, taking 14 wickets at an average of 16.07. In the first innings, he took all ten wickets but was let down by the Kiwi hitters, who were bowled out for 62 runs.

He took four wickets in the second innings, including Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara. He finished with the best bowling stats in a Test match in 2021, 14/225.

Mitchell Starc exceptional

As Australia maintained the Ashes with two games to spare, Starc had exceptional performances with both the bat and the ball. He took 14 wickets at an average of 19.64 in three games last month and was more than capable with the bat, hitting 117 runs at an average of 58.50. By removing Rory Burns with the first ball of the first Test, he set the tone for the entire series. With an innings of 35 runs, he kept Travis Head company while batting and added 85 important runs for the eighth wicket.

Starc took six wickets and scored 58 runs in the second Test in Adelaide. This included a fantastic four-wicket haul in the first innings, which helped Australia restrict England to 236, giving them a staggering 237-run lead. Starc took two key wickets in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test, including England skipper Joe Root. His innings of 24 not out helped Australia to an 82-run lead, which was enough as England were bowled out for 68 runs. In the second innings, he took three wickets as Australia triumphed by an innings to retain the urn.