On Monday, August 5th, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the nominees for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July 2024.
Smriti Mandhana, who won the June 2024 award, is again in contention, having previously bested England’s Maia Bouchier and Sri Lanka’s Vishmi Gunaratne for her first such recognition.
The ICC Player of the Month July 2024 contenders include three openers: Sri Lanka’s captain Chamari Athapaththu, India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and India’s top-order batter Shafali Verma.
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka):
Chamari Athapaththu, the all-rounder and captain of Sri Lanka, led her side to a historic first Women’s Asia Cup title in July, defeating the seven-time champions India. Under her leadership over the past year, Sri Lanka achieved significant milestones, including their first T20I series wins against England, New Zealand, and South Africa and qualifying for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
As a key player in Sri Lanka’s batting lineup, Athapaththu was instrumental in their unbeaten Asia Cup campaign. She was named Player of the Tournament after scoring a record 304 runs at a strike rate of 146.85 and taking 3 wickets. Throughout the tournament, Athapaththu’s performances were notable. After scoring just 12 in Sri Lanka’s opening game against Bangladesh, she notched up a career-best 119* against Malaysia. She then scored an unbeaten 49* against Thailand in the final group game. In the semi-final and final, Athapaththu delivered back-to-back match-winning fifties, with 63 against Pakistan and 61 against India.
Having already won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month twice, Athapaththu is now eyeing a third award.
Smriti Mandhana (India):
This is Smriti Mandhana’s second consecutive nomination for the Player of the Month award after winning the honour for June 2024.
In July, Mandhana continued her outstanding form, starting with a career-best 149 in a one-off Test against South Africa. She and Shafali Verma set a record for the highest partnership for the first wicket in Women’s Tests with 292 runs.
Mandhana then scored 100 runs across two innings in the T20I series against South Africa, including a crucial 54* in the final T20I, which secured a 10-wicket win for India and tied the series.
Her prolific run extended into the Asia Cup, where she amassed 173 runs and was India’s top scorer in the final, contributing 60 from 47 balls. Overall, Mandhana tallied 273 runs in T20Is in July, averaging 68.25 with a strike rate of 139.28.
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Shafali Verma (India):
During the period, Shafali Verma, a right-handed batter, amassed 229 runs in a one-off Test and 245 runs in T20Is.
In a notable performance, Shafali became only the second Indian woman to score a double century in Tests, achieving this milestone in 194 balls—the fastest double hundred in Women’s Tests. Her innings of 205 was the highest score in the match, contributing to India’s record total of 603/6, the highest ever in Women’s Tests. She also added a wicket in the second innings and a brisk 24* in the chase, leading India to a convincing 10-wicket win.
In the T20I series against South Africa, Shafali scored 45 runs and continued her prolific form in the Asia Cup, where she was the second-highest run-scorer with 200 runs at a strike rate of 140.84. Notable performances included a quick 40 off 29 balls against Pakistan and a career-best 81 off 48 balls, featuring 12 fours and a six against Nepal.