Muhammad Waseem named ICC Men's Player of the Month after historic series win over Bangladesh

Muhammad Waseem (ICC Photo)
NEW DELHI: UAE captain Muhammad Waseem has been crowned the ICC Men's Player of the Month for May 2025, following a string of match-winning performances that led his team to a historic T20I series victory over Bangladesh.
This marks Waseem's second Player of the Month award, his first coming in April 2024.
The 29-year-old batter outshone Scotland's Brandon McMullen and USA's Milind Kumar to claim the honour. 'I am delighted to win the ICC Player of the Month award for the second time,' Waseem said, dedicating the award to his teammates, support staff, and fans.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Waseem led from the front, amassing 145 runs across three T20Is at a blistering strike rate of 166.66.
After scoring 54 in the series opener, he followed up with a match-winning 82 off just 42 balls to power UAE to their first-ever win over Bangladesh. The UAE went on to clinch the series 2-1 in Sharjah.
Virat Kohli's love for 'dhaba' food, priority for family & more | RCB bus driver shares stories
He also contributed significantly in ODIs, scoring 169 runs in five matches at an average of 33.80, rounding off a prolific month.
Calling the victory a testament to UAE cricket's growth, Waseem praised the youngsters in the squad and emphasised the team's ambition to challenge top-tier nations regularly. 'Our aim is now to continue our progress and make our presence felt in major international events,' he added.
The achievement marks a major milestone for UAE cricket, showcasing the team's rising stature on the global stage.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hindustan Times

9 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Mohammed Siraj 'wanted to instil fear'; heated exchange backfires as Harry Brook makes him suffer for exchanging words

Mohammed Siraj was expected to shoulder Jasprit Bumrah's responsibility in the absence of Mohammed Shami, but the India pacer, in just his first outing on the tour of England, gave his bowling partner more headaches than relief. Siraj became India's fourth centurion of the Headingley Test match, conceding 2/122, allowing England to pummel 466 in their first innings. But more than the wayward bowling, it was Siraj's attitude and reluctance to learn from his mistakes that infuriated more. It's no secret that Siraj loves to be aggressive, rile the opposition batter up. When it comes off, he looks like a million dollars, but when it doesn't, he reiterates the thin line that exists between looking sexy and looking stupid. India's Mohammed Siraj, right, and England's Harry Brook, left, exchange words on Day 3 of first Test(AFP) Also Read: India vs England, 1st Test Day 3 Updates Unfortunately, on Day 3 of the first Test at Headingley, it was the latter. Not only did Siraj bleed runs, but also looked like he was running out of ideas. Perhaps it was the same frustration that made him have a go at Harry Brook. In the 84th over, a ball from Siraj struck Brook on his pads. Siraj stood there looking at Brook before the batter finally retaliated with something. And that was all it took. Siraj muttered a few words back, and after a few back-and-forth words exchanged, Brook finally shushed Siraj away. That was all the England batter needed to get charged up, as after that incident, Brook went on to unleash a maddening carnage on the Indian bowlers. Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah points towards heaven after picking fifer despite India stars failing him; equals Kapil Dev's record Dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal an over ago, Brook went 6, 4, 4 off Siraj's next to race into the 90s. He looked set for a hundred, but after getting three reprieves, Brook hooked a ball from Prasidh Krishna right down Shardul Thakur's throat at fine leg to get out on 99. Siraj and Jaiswal breathed a sigh of relief, but that doesn't mask the overall picture – Siraj's aggression that needs to be controlled. Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who was on commentary, aptly summed up what's wrong with Siraj's aggression and why it backfires more often than it succeeds. Dinesh Karthik had a word with Mohammed Siraj during IPL 2025 "Interesting to see Siraj get a bit aggressive. Just have a look at him. Hits the elbow. Siraj had something to say. He likes to get aggressive. He was playing against RCB as well. He got aggressive. And then in one game, he came up against Phil Salt. The game was in Delhi. RCB were chasing and he thought it was the best way to get himself pumped it," Karthik said. "Siraj gave a few words back to Phil Salt and then Salt took off after that. After the match got over, I asked Siraj 'Why did you have to go after him? You were bowling so nicely. He said 'No, I just wanted to instil some fear'. I said but that's what he likes. He immediately turned and said 'You should have told me after before the game started. Not after I got hit'". Siraj's form with the ball has long been a concern for India. He was dropped from India's Champions Trophy squad, but after showing some spark in the IPL for Gujarat Titans, the pacer was picked in India's 18-member squad. Long way ahead, but Siraj should not mind fine-tuning a few things to get back to being a potent threat with the ball.

Indian Express

10 hours ago

• Indian Express

Shafali Verma: ‘I have matured as a cricketer and value my wicket more'

Poised to return to Indian scheme of things, former women's prodigy Shafali Verma said the time away from the team after she was dropped has matured her and she will be smarter now and respect bowlers before she explodes, as her talent permits. India's T20 side will start their campaign against English women on June 28. Verma averages a lowly 20 in England, but is scoring upwards of a 150 strike rate in Women's Premier League (WPL) for Delhi Capitals. Talking to Hindustan Times, Verma said, 'At the start, I was carefree and hit every ball I faced. I enjoyed dominating the bowlers, going for big shots. I have matured as a cricketer and value my wicket more. I want to contribute to every game so that my team benefits.' Her renewed approach, she told HT was pragmatic. 'I won't say my style has changed much, but yes, I will be defensive too, and give respect to good bowlers. England has good bowlers like Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone. So, I won't just throw my wicket,' she stressed. Her time away from sport had taught her plenty. 'In a sport, there will be ups and downs. I, too, have faced failures and disappointments, but I have learnt from them. Hard work and passion to play for India have kept me going', Verma told HT. For someone who got off to a flyer with her half century record being compared to men's cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Verma had suffered a dip in form and was ommitted from India sides. She has over 1000 T20I runs but this comeback is a crucial second chance for someone who couldn't curb her feisty instincts and paid with her wicket often. Verma credited her Delhi Capitals captain, Meg Laning, for bringing in a revised perspective in her strokeplay. She had spent a few days preparing at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to hone her skills, beforev joining old teammates ahead of the upcoming ICC Women's ODI World Cup in India & Sri Lanka. 'It is a matter of pride that India is hosting. I'm sure India will do well and make use of the home advantage. At the moment, my job is to do well in the T20Is in England. I hope to leave an impression, and then it is left to the selectors,' she told HT. 'Getting to represent your country is a dream come true. I have fought through disappointments and turned them (opportunities) into rewards with hard work. I now look forward to playing big knocks for India and showing my positive intent,' she added.

First Post

10 hours ago

• First Post

Sourav Ganguly reveals why VVS Laxman had stopped talking to him for three months: 'Anybody would get upset'

Former India captain Ganguly, however, added that the decision that angered batting icon Laxman wasn't personal, and the two eventually patched up with passage of time. read more Former India captain Sourav Ganguly revealed VVS Laxman did not speak to him for months after the latter was excluded from India's squad for the 2003 ICC World Cup in South Africa. Batting icon Laxman was a strong favourite to be included in India's squad for the tournament until Ganguly decided otherwise and fought for spin-bowling all-rounder Dinesh Mongia's inclusion in the South Africa-bound squad. Laxman is among a handful of notable Indian cricketers who never got to play in a World Cup. The closest he had come to playing in ICC's quadrennial showpiece event was in 2003, around which time he was a first-choice player in Tests as well as ODIs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ganguly opens up on decision to pick Mongia over Laxman for World Cup And Ganguly revealed Laxman did not speak to him for three months after being informed that he would not be traveling with the rest of the squad to the World Cup. 'It has happened many times when we rested players. They were unhappy. Laxman being left out of the World Cup…he never spoke to me for three months. Then I made up with him. Anybody would get upset…for a World Cup. Especially a player of Laxman's calibre. Quite natural that he would get upset,' Ganguly told PTI. Former India wicketkeeper-batter Kiran More, who was the chief selector at the time, had also revealed in a chat with ex-Pakistan captain Rashid Latif that the selection committee was in favour of including Laxman over Mongia, but captain Ganguly and head coach John Wright had other plans for the mega tournament. Ganguly, however, added that the decision to drop Laxman wasn't personal and spoke highly of the stylish Hyderabadi batter, who scored more than 10,000 international runs including 8,781 in Tests, making a strong comeback into the ODI side later that year. 'After we finished the World Cup, he was happy that we did well. When we came back, he returned to the ODI system. He played an outstanding series in Pakistan and Australia. We won in Pakistan for the first time ever, and VVS was very instrumental. They knew at the back of their mind that it was never personal,' 'Dada' added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ganguly had led India into the final of the 2003 World Cup despite a poor start, on the back of eight consecutive wins. The Men in Blue, however, fell short in the final hurdle, suffering a 125-run defeat at the hands of Ricky Ponting's Australians who won the tournament for the second consecutive time by winning all of their matches.