T20 Stars Samson and Bumrah Shine as ICC March Award Nominees

India opener Sanju Samson and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah have been named among the nominees for the ICC Player of the Month award for March , following their stellar performances at the T20 World Cup . South Africa batter Connor Esterhuizen completes the shortlist after a remarkable debut T20I series in New Zealand.

Samson, who earned the Player of the Tournament award, made a significant impact despite missing the early stages of the World Cup. He delivered crucial knocks in the knockout matches , scoring 97 not out against the West Indies in the quarter-final in Kolkata, followed by 89 against England in the semi-final in Mumbai, and another 89 in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. His performances were key to India retaining the title.

Bumrah, adjudged Player of the Match in the final , was equally influential. In the knockout games, he took seven wickets at an average of 12.00 with an economy rate of 7.00, including three wickets across matches against West Indies and England and a match-winning 4/15 in four overs against New Zealand in the final.

Esterhuizen made an immediate mark in T20Is, scoring 200 runs at an average of 50 with a strike rate of 145.98 , helping South Africa complete a 3-2 series win in New Zealand . He was named Player of the Series , reached 551 rating points in the T20I batting rankings, the second-highest by a South African after five matches, and climbed to 39th in the rankings, the fourth-best by a South African in a similar span.

The winner of the ICC Player of the Month award for March will be announced later this month, with Samson, Bumrah, and Esterhuizen all in contention following their outstanding displays.