Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been named the ICC Player of the Month for April for his impressive performance in the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe. Miraz beat Zimbabwean pacer Blessing Mujarabani and New Zealand pacer Ben Shears to the award, the ICC website announced today.

Miraj became the third Bangladeshi after Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim to be named ICC's Player of the Month. This is the first time in his career that the 27-year-old spin all-rounder has been named ICC's Player of the Month.

Bangladesh drew the two-Test series against Zimbabwe in Sylhet and Chittagong in April with a 1-1 score. In these two Tests, Miraj batted in three innings and scored a total of 116 runs, including a century, at an average of 38.66. He took a maximum of 15 wickets in four innings. In the first Test in Sylhet, Zimbabwe won by three wickets, but Miraj took five wickets in both the visitors' innings. In the second Test in Chittagong, Zimbabwe were all out for 227 in the first innings, and Bangladesh scored 104 runs in the first innings. In that Test, Miraj took five wickets as Zimbabwe were all out for 111 in their second innings. Bangladesh won by an innings and 106 runs.

After being named the ICC Player of the Month for April, Miraj told the ICC, "Being the ICC Player of the Month is an incredible honour. The ICC award is the highest for any cricketer, and being voted for globally is a huge deal for me. These moments remind me of the trajectory of my career. At the beginning of my career, being named the Player of the Month in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup was a huge motivation for me. This award is also special."

Miraj also said, 'Such recognition from the ICC motivates me to do better for the country. I thank my teammates, coaches and fans - this award is also for them.' Shakib was the last Bangladeshi male cricketer to win the ICC Player of the Month award before Miraj, in March 2023.

Mujarabani showed his brilliance with the ball in the two-Test series against Bangladesh. The 6-foot-8-inch pacer took a total of 10 wickets in the two Tests. Nine of them were in Sylhet, which helped Zimbabwe win the Test after four years. Mujarabani was also named the best player in the Sylhet Test.

New Zealand pacer Sears shone in the ODI series against Pakistan last month, thrashing Babar and Rizwan 3-0 at home. Although Sears did not play in the first ODI, he took 10 wickets in the last two ODIs, taking five wickets each.

The ICC has been giving out the Player of the Month award since 2021. The best player is selected by an independent voting academy of the world cricket governing body. The panel includes former cricketers, commentators and sports journalists. In addition, viewers can also vote for one of the three nominated players by visiting the ICC website.

So far, four Bangladeshi cricketers, both men and women, have won the ICC Cricketer of the Month award four times. Mushfiqur Rahim became the first Bangladeshi to win the award in May 2021. Shakib has won it twice—in July 2021 and again in March 2023. Nahida Akhtar, the only Bangladeshi female cricketer, received the ICC Cricketer of the Month award in November 2023.

Scotland captain Catherine Bryce has been named the Women's Player of the Month for April, beating West Indies captain Hayley Mathews and Pakistan captain Sana Fatima. She was named the tournament's player of the month for scoring the highest number of runs in the Women's World Cup qualifiers held in Pakistan last month.