The ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominations for September 2025 featured three remarkable openers who made headlines with back-to-back centuries in the past months: Smriti Mandhana from India, Sidra Ameen from Pakistan, and Tazmin Brits from South Africa.
Smriti Mandhana, a 29-year-old left-handed opener from India, is currently the top-ranked ODI batter in the world. She had an impressive September during the home ODI series against Australia. She scored 58 off 63 balls in the first ODI, followed by two centuries of 117 off 91 balls and a record 125 off 63 balls. Her 125-run innings was especially historic because she set the record for the fastest ODI century by an Indian women player, reaching the milestone in just 50 balls. Mandhana’s blend of graceful stroke play and aggressive intent was vital for India’s strong performance throughout the series.
Sidra Ameen, a 33-year-old right-handed opening batter from Pakistan, also shone in the ODI scene in September during the home series against South Africa. With incredible consistency and skill, Sidra scored two consecutive centuries, 121 not out off 150 balls and 122 off 110 balls followed by an unbeaten 50 off 94 balls in the three-match series. Her outstanding performance helped Pakistan post competitive totals and highlighted her growing importance in women’s international cricket.
Tazmin Brits from South Africa, aged 34, matched the excellence of her peers with her own remarkable form. The right-handed opener was named Player of the Series against Pakistan after scoring two centuries of 101 not out off 121 balls and 171 not out off 141 balls. The year 2025 has been a breakthrough for Brits as she became the fastest woman to reach seven ODI centuries. Her impressive streak also includes a recent century against New Zealand, where she scored 101 runs off 89 balls with a strike rate of 113.48. Notably, Brits has scored four centuries in her last five ODIs, highlighting her reliability and dominance at the crease.
The ICC Player of the Month voting, which includes insights from the independent Voting Academy and worldwide fan votes, will decide which of these three top openers will receive the prestigious award. Each player has displayed exceptional skill, match-winning abilities, and important contributions to their teams in September.
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