The International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced the ICC Player of the Month award for both men and women cricketers in the year 2021, to reward the efforts made by the players on a monthly basis.
Since then, ICC has nominated 3 players in the men’s as well as in the women’s categories, based on their performances in that particular month. The winner of the Player of the Month award is decided, based on the voting of fans from across the globe, alongside the Independent Voting Academy members comprising of former cricketers, commentators, journalists, etc. which are formed by the ICC.
The nominees for the Player of the Month for October included the 23-year-old all-rounder from New Zealand Amelia Kerr, the 23-year-old left-arm spinner from Bangladesh, and the 25-year-old all-rounder and West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews the three nominees for the Player of the Month for October 2023.
The West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for October 2023 edging ahead of others despite tough competition from the other two, for her blockbuster performances against Australia. She had a dream outing delivering back-to-back exceptional performances for the West Indies in the limited-overs series, especially in the T20I series against Australia. She almost single-handedly challenged the World Champions Australia in their backyard.
Hayley Matthews, crowned ICC Player of the Month for October 2023! 👏#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/wdeqsyWoNJ
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 10, 2023
She broke multiple records during the T20I series against Australia. She achieved the highest individual score by a West Indian woman in all formats when she scored 99 off 74 balls at a strike rate of 133.78 in the 1st T20I at the North Sydney Oval against Australia, going past Stafanie Taylor’s (95 off 102 balls) in an ODI on 11th November 2014. She followed that up with yet another exceptional all-round performance resulting in a historic victory for the West Indies in the second T20I. the West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews (3/36) was one of the top performers with the ball.
She also went on to lead from the front with the bat as she completed her second century in the T20Is off just 53 balls. She ended up scoring 132 off just 64 balls, scoring at an impressive strike rate of 206.25, playing a pivotal role in helping the West Indies chase down a record total of 213, completing a highest-ever successful run chase in women’s T20Is. Hayley Matthews (132 off 64 balls) was the highest-ever individual score for West Indies in women’s T20Is, going past Deandra Dottin’s unbeaten 112 off just 45 balls against South Africa at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2010.
West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews continued her dream run in the T20I series by notching up her 10th half-century in the T20I format in the third T20I. She also became the first player to score over 300 runs in a three-match T20I series. Yet again, she was the top performer (79 off 40 balls) with the bat for West Indies. However, she failed to get her side over the line as they eventually fell short of the 191-run by 47 runs.
She was also awarded the Player of the Series for her brilliant performances, scoring 310 runs with the bat and picking up five wickets with the ball right through the series despite ending up on the losing side. She is currently trusted with the leadership duties for the Melbourne Renegades in the ongoing 9th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League.
“I’m very grateful to have received the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for October. It was pretty special going out there in Australia and being able to perform the way that I did, but knowing how many people’s faces I was able to put a smile on back home in the Caribbean, that’s what means the most to me.” The West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews speaks about receiving the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award and being able to put a smile on the faces of the people back home in the Caribbean.
(Quotes sourced from ICC Press Release).