Proteas star Keegan Petersen voted ICC Player of the Month for January

Petersen was nominated alongside fellow countryman and under-19 World Cup star, Dewald Brevis, and Bangladesh's Ebadot Hossain.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the introduction of the monthly awards, which will "recognise and celebrate the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all forms" throughout the year.

This summer, Petersen had been in sublime form for the Proteas as he piled on the runs and steered the side to a 2-1 Test series win over Virat Kohli's men.

The 28-year-old solidified his spot at number three for the Proteas as he ended the Indian tour with 244 runs at an average of 46.00, including three-half-centuries.

Petersen was also awarded Player of the Series and caught the eye of former Proteas all-rounder JP Duminy.

ICC Voting Academy member Duminy said in an ICC press release: "With the hype of the series and the high expectation, the composure Petersen showed while batting in a pivotal number three position was simply staggering."

An independent ICC Voting Academy adjudicated the award comprised of former players, broadcasters, and journalists from around the world, with fans also having a vote for the ICC Men's and Women's Player of the Month.

Petersen will not feature for the Proteas in this week's first Test against the Black Caps at Christchurch after testing positive for Covid-19 prior to departure.

However, the star batter is currently in Gqeberha with the Dolphins in the ongoing CSA T20 Challenge.

Meanwhile, England skipper Heather Knight won the women's award after her 216 runs in the sole Ashes Test match against Australia.

Knight scored an unbeaten 168 in Canberra as she notched the second-highest score by a captain in the history of women's Tests. The Ashes Test