Photo Credit: ICC
- Men’s shortlist features Test and ODI debutants Gus Atkinson and Charlie Cassell, plus India’s T20I star Washington Sundar
- Women’s shortlist comprises familiar faces including Women’s Asia Cup winner Chamari Athapaththu, and India duo Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma
- More about the ICC Player of the Month awards is available here
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today named the shortlists for the ICC Player of the Month awards for July, celebrating the standout performers from an action-packed month of international cricket.
The ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist features three outstanding bowlers who grabbed the headlines across all three formats of international cricket last month.
England’s Gus Atkinson entered the Test arena in July and made an immediate impact with a stunning display of destructive pace bowling in their dominant World Test Championship series victory over West Indies. Charlie Cassell of Scotland also made his first steps, this time in the ODI format, blitzing the Oman batting lineup with an inspired spell in Dundee. The lineup is completed by India’s Washington Sundar, who bowled superbly on their short-format tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
The ICC Women’s Player of the Month shortlist contains a decorated trio of international icons who provided plenty of highlights during July’s contests.
Chamari Athapaththu continues her rich vein of form for Sri Lanka and celebrates another nomination thanks to her dramatic Women’s Asia Cup-winning exploits with the bat on home soil. India’s Smriti Mandhana aims to make it back-to-back Women’s Player of the Month awards after ending their Test series against South Africa with more run-scoring success and notable performances in their Women’s Asia Cup campaign, while compatriot Shafali Verma joins her as the final candidate for July’s award, after a record-breaking month at the top of the batting order.
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 are now able to vote for their favourite performers at icc-cricket.com/awards.
ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for July:
Gus Atkinson (England)
26-year-old Atkinson made his introduction to the Test match arena at Lord’s in July as the legendary James Anderson was bowing out, and the pacer wasted no time in underlining his credentials as a potential successor, with supreme spells of fast bowling that saw the home side claim a dominant ICC World Test Championship series sweep over the West Indies. 22 Wickets fell to Atkinsons sharp, accurate bowling at an average of 16.22 during the month, 12 of which falling in that first Test, including seven for 45 in the first innings – the second-best haul by an England bowler on Test debut.
Charlie Cassell (Scotland)
Another impressive debut spell came courtesy of 25-year-old Cassell, who inspired Scotland to a thumping ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 win over Oman in Dundee. The fast bowler produced a record-breaking spell of seven for 21 in his 5.4 overs – the best figures for any bowler on ODI debut, beating the record previously held by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada. Cassell started in blistering fashion, taking three wickets in his first four balls as Oman were skittled for 91, with the home side eventually securing a comfortable, valuable win by eight wickets.
Washington Sundar (India)
In the aftermath of their triumph at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies, India headed to Zimbabwe, and among the stars of their successful tour was spinner Washington. With eight wickets over the course of their five-match contest, he claimed the Player of the Series accolade following their 4-1 win, highlighted by a superb three for 15 in the third match. The next stop was Sri Lanka, where he bowled supremely in the third T20I, including a memorable Super Over performance which restricted the hosts to just two runs in a Player of the Match display.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for July:
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
With a number of individual accolades under her belt in recent times, the Sri Lanka captain enjoyed another career-defining moment in July, inspiring her side to a memorable triumph in the Women’s Asia Cup on home soil. Athapaththu hit 304 runs during the competition at an average of 101.33 and a strike rate of 146.85, which included a statement, unbeaten 119 against Malaysia and two crucial half-centuries in the latter stages; the first in their tense semi-final victory over Pakistan, and the second as they stunned India to claim their maiden Women’s Asia Cup title, successfully chasing a competitive 166 for victory in Dambulla.
Smriti Mandhana (India)
Mandhana is aiming to make it back-to-back success after winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award in June. Her success continued into July, where she hit another superb 149 in the final Test against South Africa in Chennai, enjoying a 292-run opening stand with Shafali Verma as India eased to a ten-wicket win. Scores of 47 and 54 not out came in the subsequent T20I series against the same opposition before the opener contributed strongly in the Women’s Asia Cup, including half-centuries in the semi-final victory over Bangladesh (55 not out) and the final against Sri Lanka (60).
Shafali Verma (India)
Shafali is nominated for the first time since June 2021 and stands in contention after breaking more records in July. The 20-year-old registered the fastest double-century in women’s Test matches in India’s final Test victory over South Africa, showcasing her trademark attacking style to blast 205 in 197 balls. In addition to this, Shafali then starred in the T20I format, top-scoring for India in their Women’s Asia Cup campaign where she produced more fireworks, including in innings against Pakistan (40 in 29 balls), UAE (37 in 18 balls) and Nepal (81 in 48 balls).
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:
Afghanistan: Javed Hamim; Australia: Daniel Cherny and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Mazhar Uddin and Md Ariful Islam Roney; England: Chris Stocks and Lydia Greenway; Ireland: Ger Siggins and Clare Shillington; India: S Gomesh and Shivani Gupta; New Zealand: 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: Lawrence Trusida and Grant Flower; Others: Darren Allan Kyeyune and Kyle Coetzer.
