The International Cricket Council has revealed the latest crop of international cricket stars celebrated in the shortlists for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards.
July saw dramatic conclusions to the men’s and women’s Ashes series in England, and the key performers from both series feature heavily in the list of names put forward for voting.
The shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award features three first-time nominees in the ICC Player of the Month awards – two stars of England’s spirited fightback in the memorable conclusion to the men’s Ashes series, and the key figure in the Netherlands’ successful qualifying campaign for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
England opener Zac Crawley topped the run-scoring charts for the home side, and inspired England’s fightback in the series from the top of the order with a string of notable batting displays. Chris Woakes returned to the side staring down a two-nil series deficit and bowled brilliantly to take important wickets throughout the remainder of the series. Completing the shortlist is the Netherlands’ Bas de Leede, who produced a performance for the ages in the winner-takes-all battle against Scotland at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, earning their first Cricket World Cup appearance since 2011 as a result of his heroics.
The ICC Women’s Player of the Month shortlist comprises three highly decorated individuals – a three-time winner of the award, the current holder of the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Decade crowned back in 2020.
Ashleigh Gardner is no stranger to the ICC Women’s Player of the Month awards, and the Australian aims to win back-to-back awards following another all-round masterclass during July. Ellyse Perry celebrates her first nomination after scoring consistently across all formats throughout the month. The final contender for July’s crown is England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, 2022’s ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, whose excellent form continues to be rewarded after she recorded centuries in each of the last two ODIs to secure the Ashes series draw.
An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world will now be invited to cast their votes to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered at icc-cricket.com/awards will be able to vote for their favourite performers until Saturday.
ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for July:
Zak Crawley (ENG)
Up against a formidable bowling lineup that were recently crowned the ICC World Test Champions, the England opener recorded 412 runs during July at an eye-catching average of 58.85. During the four July Tests, Crawley succeeded not only in nullifying the threat of Australia’s strike bowlers, but also in counter-attacking, personified by his memorable innings of 189 in 182 balls in Manchester. This display, and Crawley’s valuable 73 in the second innings of the decisive fifth Test came as England fought back from two-nil down to draw the series in dramatic fashion.
Bas de Leede (NED)
The Netherlands enjoyed a remarkable run of results during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe with several notable individual performances littering their route to qualification. The stakes were at their highest in the winner-takes-all showdown against Scotland, and de Leede produced an unforgettable display with bat and ball to secure their passage to India. Taking his maiden five-wicket haul (for 52 runs) to restrict the opposition to 277, de Leede then steered the Dutch reply in perfect fashion under intense pressure with a blistering 123 from 92 balls, ensuring his side pipped Scotland to qualify.
Chris Woakes (ENG)
Returning to the England Test squad for the third Test in Leeds, Woakes was a catalyst for the significant swing in fortunes which saw the home side overturn the 2-0 deficit to claim the series draw. As well as hitting the winning runs in the Leeds Test, the pacer bowled superbly in each of his three outings during July, claiming 19 wickets at an average of 18.15 to be named England’s Player of the Series.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for July:
Ashleigh Gardner (AUS)
Last month’s winner of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month aims to become the first player to win back-to-back awards, and does so after another impressive string of displays in the Women’s Ashes in England and the subsequent ODI series against Ireland. Making valuable contributions with the bat, and taking important wickets at regular intervals with the ball, Gardner returned a total of 232 runs and 15 wickets during her 8 ODI and T20I matches in July, highlighting her significant influence in an Australian team packed with individual stars.
Ellyse Perry (AUS)
The Australian all-rounder is nominated for the very first time as one of the contenders for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month thanks to a consistent string of scores in their short format matches against England and Ireland. Amassing 276 runs in four ODI matches against both opponents including two 90-plus scores, Perry averaged 69 in the format during July. In addition, she also scored well in the T20I matches in the Ashes series – 92 runs including a half-century at the Oval.
Nat Sciver-Brunt (ENG)
The current holder of the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy was once again at the forefront of a stirring set of performances for England during July’s matches. Faced with potential Ashes defeat, Sciver-Brunt produced two supreme performances in the last two ODI encounters. Successive scores of 111 not out and 129 capped a career-defining series, earning her both the Player of the Series accolade, and top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings for batters.
The ICC Player of the Month Voting Process:
The three nominees for either category are shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC can vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on ICC’s digital channels.
Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month July 2023:
Afghanistan: Hameed Qayoomi and Javed Hamim; Australia: Scott Bailey and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Mohammad Sekander Ali and Md Ariful Islam Roney; England: Elizabeth Ammon and Lydia Greenway; Ireland: Ger Siggins and Clare Shillington; India: S Gomesh and Irfan Pathan; New Zealand: Merryn Anderson and Craig Cumming; Pakistan: Sawera Pasha and Sana Mir; South Africa: Zaahier Adams and Ashwell Prince; Sri Lanka: Azzam Ameen and Farveez Maharoof; West Indies: Daren Ganga and Stacy Ann King; Zimbabwe: Daniel Nhakaniso and Grant Flower; Others: Ajit Vijaykumar and Dirk Nannes.
