Tag: Ben Sears

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday revealed the nominees for the Men’s Player of the Month for April 2025, featuring Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz alongside Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani and New Zealand’s Ben Sears.

Bangladesh’s dynamic all-rounder Mehidy earned the nomination for his outstanding performance in the Test series against Zimbabwe.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz stood for his team in difficult times with the bat and ball. He took consecutive five-wicket hauls in the first Test. However, his contribution could not save his team from defeat.

In the second Test, Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s excellent all-round performance helped his team level the series. He scored a century in the first innings and a five-wicket haul in Zimbabwe’s second innings to set up a victory for his team.

Meanwhile, the second nominee for ICC Player of the Month is fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani. Heho was pivotal for Zimbabwe in the series against Bangladesh.

He took nine wickets in the match, which earned him the Player of the Match award. He recorded 3-50 and 6-72 figures in the first and second innings, respectively.

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Blessing Muzarabani finished as Zimbabwe’s top taker in the series, claiming 10 wickets across two Tests at an impressive average of 20.50.

New Zealand’s fast bowler Ben Sears earned the nomination for excellent performances in the ODI series against Pakistan.

He picked up back-to-back five-fors against Pakistan in the last two ODIs, tormenting the Men in Green’s top-order.

Ben Sears was instrumental in the team’s whitewash, taking 5 wickets for 59 runs in the second ODI, which helped New Zealand secure an 84-run victory.

In the last ODI of the series, Sears again produced a sensational bowling spell, taking 5 for 34 in his nine overs.

Ben Sears’ outstanding bowling performances earned him the Player of the Series award as he bagged 10 wickets at an average of 9.30 at an economy rate of 5.07

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New Zealand suffered a major blow ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as key fast bowler Ben Sears was ruled out of the marquee tournament with a hamstring injury.

The right-arm fast bowler, part of New Zealand’s tri-series squad, felt pain in his hamstring during the team’s training session in Karachi on Wednesday.

According to New Zealand Cricket (NZC), a scan revealed a minor tear that would require two weeks of rehabilitation following the injury.

Keeping the tournament schedule in focus, New Zealand Cricket named a replacement, as Sears would have been only available from the BlackCaps’ final group match onwards against India on 2 March.

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Jacob Duffy was named Ben Sears’s replacement for the Champions Trophy 2025. Duffy is already part of the ongoing tri-nation series against Pakistan and South Africa.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead was disappointed after Ben Sears was ruled out of a highly-anticipated event.

“We’re all really feeling for Ben. It’s always tough being ruled out of a significant event at such a late stage, and it’s especially tough in Ben’s case, given it would have been his first major ICC event,” said Stead.

He further stated that considering the short nature of the tournament and Ben Sear’s fitness timeline, it was appropriate to bring in a replacement.

“The timeframes for Ben to be fit to play again meant he would likely miss the majority of the group stage, and given the short nature of the tournament, we felt it was appropriate to bring in a player who is fully fit and ready to go,” said New Zealand head coach.

New Zealand Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

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