Fans were entertained with thrilling action in July, with various international assignments taking place in both men’s and women’s cricket. The biggest one was the five-match test series between England and India, which ended in 2-2. Both captains have been nominated for the Player of the Month award for July.
India’s new test captain and England’s captain Ben Stokes had great series individually. That helped them to feature in the nomination for this award. Apart from these two, South Africa’s star all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, who was in touching distance of breaking Brian Lara’s all-time record, is the third nomination.
In women’s cricket, England’s duo of Sophie Ecclestone and Sophia Dunkley are nominated. The third nomination comes from Ireland, where captain Gaby Lewis has been nominated after some great recent performances.
Shubman Gill and Ben Stokes fight for the ICC Player of the Month Award for July
Shubman Gill made his captaincy debut with the recently concluded test series. He had a fantastic series both as player and captain. He had a record-breaking series as captain, finishing as the top run-getter with 754 runs at an average of 75.4, which included four centuries. He also won the Player of the Series award for India.
Ben Stokes also had a brilliant series. His decision-making and tactics are always on point. With the bat, he scored 304 runs with a much-awaited test century. With the ball, he finished with 17 wickets and was the third-highest wicket-taker in the series. He didn’t play the final test, which did play into the hands of the Indian team.
South Africa’s all-rounder Wiaan Mulder had a record-breaking Zimbabwe tour. He captained the side in the second test and finished with 531 runs in two tests, at an incredible average of 265.60. He batted in the three innings, scoring 17, 147, and a record-breaking 367 not out. With the ball, he took seven wickets in two tests.
In women’s cricket, Sophia Dunkley had a great home series against India Women. Though England Women lost both series but Dunkley was the star with the bat. She slammed 126 runs in ODIs and 144 runs in T20Is at an impressive strike rate of 144.
Sophia Ecclestone was another good performer in that home series. The no. 1 ranked ODI women’s bowler took five wickets in ODIs and four in T20Is. She also played a few useful knocks with the bat. Ireland women’s captain Gaby Lewis won the Player of the Series against Zimbabwe in the T20I series and finished with 154 runs, with 95 runs in two ODIs.
The winner of the award will be chosen on the basis of voting. The ICC Voting Academy will have a 90 percent vote share, which includes former players, broadcasters, and well-known journalists, and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. Fans will also vote, and the 10 percent share of voting will be held by the cricket fans.
