Tector beats Babar to win Player of the Month award for May

A first time winner has clinched the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for May 2023 after strong performances in ODI cricket.

Harry Tector has been voted the ICC Men's Player of the Month after a stunning month in May, Ireland's first Men's POTM award. He beat out tough competition from Pakistan superstar Babar Azam, and Bangladesh's young rising batter Najmul Hossain Shanto.

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23-year-old Tector continued to prove he is the present and future of Ireland’s team, in spite of the disappointing end to their Super League campaign.

Reaching 21* before the rain came down during the first ODI against Bangladesh in Chelmsford, Tector thundered in the second ODI to smash a career-best 140 from just 113 balls with seven fours and an astonishing 10 sixes.

What made Tector’s achievements all the more impressive was that the No.4 walked out with his team struggling at 16/2 in the 7th over, but had turned the contest around by the time of his dismissal at the end of the 42nd.

Tector and George Dockrell (74* from 47 balls) propelled Ireland to 319 in the 45-over innings, though Bangladesh, largely through fellow nominee Najmul Hossain Shanto, ran away from victory.

The Ireland batter backed up his credentials with a knock of 45 from 48 balls in the third ODI and Bangladesh.

"I'm delighted with the Award and would like to thank those who voted for me, however, cricket is a team sport first-and-foremost, so the Award is more a reflection on the performances and progress of the Ireland Men's squad," commented Tector.

"Without the support of Heinrich [Malan], Andrew [Balbirnie] and the dedicated group of coaches and players I work with, I wouldn't have been able to win this Award.

"While Laura [Delany] and Eimear [Richardson] have won the Women's equivalent, this is the first time an Irish player has picked up the Men's Award. While a personal privilege, I believe it won't be too much longer until more Irish players are being recognised this way.

"Thanks to the ICC - but I'm sure you'll understand that this will only be a brief moment of reflection as we have a crucial Qualifier starting in a matter of days, and our focus will be solely on that over the coming weeks."