Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
Abbott and Smith lead the May MVP Rankings.
You can now vote for your Players of the Month for May as the top four men’s and women’s domestic players have been announced using the PCA’s MVP Ranking system.
Surrey all-rounder Sean Abbott leads the rankings with Somerset’s Craig Overton, Nottinghamshire’s Matt Montgomery and Hampshire skipper James Vince completing a competitive top four men’s players in May.
For the women’s award, South East Stars captain Bryony Smith tops the table with Western Storm’s Danielle Gibson, Thunder’s Emma Lamb and South East Stars Phoebe Franklin all ranked in the top four women’s players for their May performances.
The players are selected by the PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings, which picks out the game’s top performers across every single fixture which forms the rankings for each competition, as well as an overall table which is how the top four is selected. The MVP takes into account batting, bowling and fielding contributions as well as match defining contributions using a unique algorithm developed with CricViz.
Men’s PCA Player of the Month
Below is a breakdown of the achievements of the top four men’s players in the table for the month of May with LV= Insurance County Championship and Vitality Blast games taking place:
Sean Abbott (Surrey)
Abbott secured top spot in May finishing with an incredible 143 MVP points, 11 points clear of second place.
The Surrey all-rounder scored 270 runs at an average of 70 and took 11 wickets in the month averaging 30.7 with the ball.
The stand-out performance for the 31-year-old was undoubtedly his phenomenal maiden T20 century against Kent, scoring an unbeaten 110 off just 41 balls.
The innings secured Abbott 60 MVP points, the most of any match so far this year in the Vitality Blast, and was the joint fastest hundred ever scored in the competition off just 34 balls.
Abbott’s batting and bowling contributions have meant that not only does he top the MVP rankings for May but he’s also second on the Overall MVP table.
Craig Overton (Somerset)
Somerset all-rounder Craig Overton enjoyed an impressive wicket-taking month securing 132 MVP points.
The 29-year-old took 17 wickets at an average of 24.4 across his LV= Insurance County Championship and Vitality Blast matches in May, as well as scoring 66 runs at an average of 22.
Overton has been in fabulous form in the Vitality Blast taking six wickets at 10.8 and winning a Match MVP award against Hampshire Hawks.
Taking incredible figures of 3-8 off his four overs alongside four catches secured Overton 45 MVP points as he helped dismiss the Hawks for 74 with Somerset winning by eight wickets.
Matt Montgomery (Nottinghamshire / Notts Outlaws)
Ten points behind Overton on 122 MVP points in May is South African, Matt Montgomery.
The 23-year-old scored a brilliant 398 runs during May averaging 44.2 alongside taking two wickets.
Against Essex he won a Match MVP award and 48 MVP points for a striking innings of 177 which included 26 boundaries.
Montgomery scored 272 runs in May’s LV= Insurance County Championship games alongside 126 runs in the Vitality Blast, impressing in the latter with 51 off 29 balls including six fours and a six and figures of 1-5 against Derbyshire in a four wicket win for the Outlaws.
James Vince (Hampshire / Hampshire Hawks)
Fourth on May’s MVP table is the 2022 Vitality Blast Player of the Year and Blast winning skipper, James Vince.
Amassing an astonishing 423 runs in the month at an average of 141, Vince secured 120 MVP points of the rankings.
The 32-year-old impressed in the LV= Insurance County Championship with an unbeaten 75 and 52 against Warwickshire as well as a 95 against Northamptonshire.
In the Vitality Blast Vince won a Match MVP for his unbeaten 88 against Middlesex which helped his side to an eight wicket win.
Vince currently sits third on the Overall MVP rankings.
Women’s PCA Player of the Month
To help make your decision on who to vote for in the women’s category, below is a quick glance at the four nominee’s achievements in May with Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup matches having been played.
Bryony Smith (SE Stars)
Leading the way in May on 114 MVP points is Bryony Smith who sits 13 points clear of second place.
The off-spinning all-rounder scored 242 runs at an average of 30.3 and took nine wickets averaging 19 with the ball.
In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, the South East Stars skipper took six wickets with a sensational average of 8.6 to go along with 84 runs at an average of 28.
The 25-year-old won two Match MVP awards in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the most impressive of which coming against Southern Vipers where her electric innings of 83 off 47 balls secured 37 MVP points. She even donned the keeping gloves against Western Storm, taking two catches and a stumping.
Smith is having a great season so far, currently occupying second place on the Overall MVP table and fourth in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
Danielle Gibson (Western Storm)
Second on the MVP table for May is Western Storm’s Danielle Gibson who has earnt 101 points.
The all-rounder scored 157 runs at 26.2 in May and took nine wickets with an average of 23.4.
The 22-year-old currently leads the Charlotte Edwards Cup MVP table having scored 148 runs and taken four wickets in the competition and sits fourth in the Overall standings.
Gibson won a Match MVP award in Storm’s seven wicket victory over Sunrisers thanks to a brilliant knock of 62 off 46 balls, to go with figures of 2-27 off four overs securing 31 MVP points.
Emma Lamb (Thunder)
Coming in just behind Gibson, in third place is Thunder’s Emma Lamb on 97.4 points in May.
The batting all-rounder scored 227 runs at an average of 45.4 and took two wickets.
Impressing in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Lamb scored 56 against Central Sparks and an unbeaten 38 against Sunrisers.
In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the 25-year-old secured a match MVP award for 31 off 26 balls and figures of 2-24 from four overs taking home 24 points in a seven wicket win for Thunder.
Lamb also scored 64 off 49 balls against Central Sparks and currently sits third in the Overall MVP table.
Phoebe Franklin (SE Stars)
Taking the MVP points in to decimal places, Phoebe Franklin finishes just 0.51 points behind Lamb and completes a strong top four in May.
The Stars all-rounder scored 187 runs at an average of 26.7 and took eight wickets at 20.3 with the ball.
The 25-year-old won a Match MVP award in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for brilliant figures of 3-18 off four overs to help dismiss Sunrisers for 64 and secure a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern victory by 91 runs.
In the Charlotte Edwards Cup Franklin also picked up a Match MVP for 53 off 43 and figures of 1-19 against The Blaze.
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.
