Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
- July Men’s and Women’s Teams of the Month revealed
- All-rounders Lewis Goldsworthy and Heather Graham captain teams
- Both teams selected using the PCA’s MVP system
The MVP Teams of the Month for July in the men’s and women’s domestic game have been announced, the teams are selected using the PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings.
Using the MVP’s unique algorithm, the sides have been picked by choosing the game’s top performers across domestic cricket in July.
In the women’s game, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy continued before The Hundred got underway. Trent Rockets and The Blaze all-rounder Heather Graham maintained her spot in the team from last month and skippers the side having amassed the most amount of MVP points in July with 79.15. The 27-year-old Australian also finished July as the leading bowler, securing 44.13 MVP points.
Fellow Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry finished top of the batting rankings with 57.88 MVP points, while compatriot Amanda-Jade Wellington finds herself in the side for the third time this year having also been selected in April and May. South East Stars and Oval Invincibles’ Ryana MacDonald-Gay also returns to the team having impressed in April, when she won the PCA Player of the Month.
In the men’s game, the month encompassed the Vitality County Championship, Vitality Blast, Metro Bank One Day Cup and The Hundred. All-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy captains the side having impressed for both Leicestershire and Somerset, earning 144.52 MVP points during July, thanks to scoring 336 runs and taking 12 wickets.
Welsh Fire and Gloucestershire’s David Payne maintains his spot in the side from last month and finished as the leading MVP bowler in July with 105.54 points. Warwickshire and Birmingham Phoenix all-rounder Dan Mousley also finds himself in the team for the second successive month, whilst Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke returns to the side for the first time since April.
The PCA’s MVP system works by comparing a player’s accomplishments against the expected performance for that game. Runs and wickets achieved at each ground are also considered and compared to the average. Enabling players to score or lose MVP points on every ball through CricViz’s extensive historical database, the rankings are a true reflection of performance.
The teams have been selected using a traditional, balanced side. This means that a player such as Northern Diamonds’ Hollie Armitage is unfortunate to miss out due to other strong batting performances in the month. Likewise, in the men’s game Birmingham Phoenix all-rounder Benny Howell performed well in July but didn’t gain as many points against competing all-rounders.
Women’s MVP Team of the Month:
1- Bryony Smith – 65.51
2- Sophia Dunkley – 51.53
3- Ellyse Perry – 78.47
4- Nat Sciver-Brunt – 62.69
5- Paige Scholfield – 54.35
6- Heather Graham – 79.15 (C)
7- Ellie Threlkeld – 34.10 (WK)
8- Amanda-Jade Wellington – 56.96
9- Ryana MacDonald-Gay – 48.60
10- Lauren Bell – 32.13
11- Tara Norris – 37.03
Men’s MVP Team of the Month:
1- Tom Banton – 142.22 (WK)
2- Daniel Hughes – 133.81
3- Kiran Carlson – 134.85
4- Joe Clarke – 110.66
5- Sam Hain – 115.23
6- Lewis Goldsworthy – 144.52 (C)
7- Dan Mousley – 132.59
8- David Payne – 125.60
9- David Willey – 119.79
10- Jack White – 82.58
11- Nathan Sowter – 99.21
Find out more about the PCA MVP Rankings and view the men’s and women’s tables.
Name of Author: Professional Cricketers Association
The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), founded in 1967 by former England fast bowler Fred Rumsey as the Cricketers’ Association, represents past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales. In the 1970s, the PCA established a standard employment contract and minimum wage for professional cricketers. It also helped create a pension scheme in 1995 and launched the magazine All Out Cricket and the ACE UK Educational Programme in 2002.
