Shakib Al Hasan, Asif Ali, David Wiese nominated by ICC for October Men's Player of the Month award

Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan, Pakistan finisher Asif Ali and Namibia all-rounder David Wiese have all been nominated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their Player of the Month award for October.

All three had been in terrific form in the 2021 T20 World Cup in October. In the press release for the Player of the Month award, the ICC wrote:

"Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, Pakistan's Asif Ali and Namibia's David Wiese are the trio nominated for October's accolade, all enjoying fine starts to the tournament in UAE and Oman."

Shakib Al Hasan was among the top run-scorers as well as top wicket-takers in the World Cup, at one point leading both charts, before an injury ruled him out for the rest of the event. He finished the tournament with 131 runs and 11 wickets.

Asif Ali played two brilliant knocks down the order for Pakistan, helping them get two key wins against New Zealand and Afghanistan. Against New Zealand, he hit an unbeaten 27 off 12 deliveries. Ali also smashed four sixes in the penultimate over against Afghanistan, with Pakistan needing 24 to win off the final two overs.

David Wiese played a key role in Namibia's dream run in the T20 World Cup. He played two match-winning knocks to help them progress from the Group Stage to the Super 12s. He has scored 162 runs in the tournament. Wiese was also handy with the ball, picking five wickets.

The Player of the Month award will be decided by public vote.

Nominees for Women's Player of the Month also announced

The ICC also announced the nominees for the Women's Player of the Month award.

Zimbabwe's Mary-Ann Musonda was nominated for the award along with the Irish duo of Laura Delany and Gaby Lewis. The ICC wrote:

"Zimbabwe's Mary-Anne Musonda joins Ireland duo Laura Delany and Gaby Lewis as Player of the Month nominees for October, after a pulsating ODI series between the teams. Led by the nominated pair, Ireland came back from 1-0 down to win the four-match series 3-1."

In the three matches that Ireland won, Gaby Lewis scored 65, 96* and 78. Laura Delany earned a nomination as she scored 189 runs in the series at an average of 63 as she led the team to a series win.

Meanwhile, Mary-Anne Musonda scored 103 in the first match to help Zimbabwe secure a win in their first-ever Women's ODI.