Rishabh Pant nominated for ICC men's player of the month

One of the architects of India's historic win in Australia, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was on Tuesday nominated for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award along with England skipper Joe Root and Ireland's Paul Stirling.

The International Cricket Council announced the nominees for the inaugural Player of the Month Awards which will "recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year".

The 23-year-old Pant played two Tests against Australia where he scored a 97 at Sydney to ensure a draw before an unbeaten 89 at Brisbane that led India to a historic series-clinching win.

In January, Root played two Tests against Sri Lanka, where he scored a 228 and 186 and led his team to a 2-0 Test series victory.

The third nominee in the category, Stirling played two ODIs against the UAE and three ODIs vs Afghanistan, where he scored three centuries.

Among women cricketers, Pakistan Diana Baig and the South African duo of Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp were nominated for the monthly honours.