Nafees nominated for Emerging Player

Shahriar Nafees, the Bangladesh opening batsman, has been nominated for the ICC's Emerging-Player-of-the-Year award to be announced on October 23 in Mumbai.

Nafees, 20, who was recently appointed vice-captain of his side for the Champions Trophy played in India from October 7 to November 5, said that the recognition the nomination conferred on Bangladesh was what mattered most. "It is very encouraging but I don't see anything from an individual's perspective," Nafees told The Daily Star, a Dhaka-based newspaper.

Nominated alongside Nafees are Monty Panesar, the England left-arm spinner, Alastair Cook, the England batsman, Malinga Bandara, the Sri Lanka legspinner, Upula Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opening batsman, Denesh Ramdin, the West Indies wicketkeeper and Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler.

Nafees's recent Test performances against Australia at home have been impressive. He scored his only Test century against them in the first Test at Fatullah where Bangladesh gave Australia quite a scare by scoring over 400 in their first innings and then bowling Australia out for 269. In achieving a first innings lead of 159, Nafees partnered with Habibul Bashar to notch up 187 runs for the second wicket - the highest partnership by a Bangladesh pair.

But Nafees does not attribute his nomination for the award to his 138 in Fatullah. "It was not because of that knock against Australia, but rather for the whole season where I showed adequate consistency," he said. Nafees has a strike rate of 66.52 in one-day matches and has scored four half-centuries, three of them in away-series. He had a good series against Zimbabwe in July-August this year, averaging 62 in five one-day matches played in Harare.

The winner will be decided by voting by a 56-member ICC academy comprising the 10 Test captains, 18 members of the umpires and match referees panel and 28 legends of the game and members of the media.