The race for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July 2025 looks like an exciting line-up with three standouts from the international circuit making the coveted shortlist. England’s formidable duo, batter Sophia Dunkley and spinner Sophie Ecclestone, are joined by Ireland’s inspirational skipper Gaby Lewis in a nomination list that reflects the growing depth and brilliance in women’s cricket worldwide.
Sophia Dunkley
Sophia Dunkley’s July was a showcase of power, poise, and consistency at the crease. Facing a formidable Indian side in a packed white-ball action during the English summer, Dunkley featured in every contest, 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs, making every opportunity count. In the shortest format, Dunkley’s impact magnified further: she smashed 151 runs at an electric strike rate of 136.03 and an average of 30.20, including a half-century in five innings, ending as the leading run-scorer for England and the 3rd highest run-scorer of the T20I series against India.
In the three-match ODI series, she amassed 126 runs, highlighted by a sublime 92-ball 83 in the opener at Southampton, coming on her 27th birthday, an innings marked by authoritative strokes and composure under pressure, making it even more memorable. However, the home side ended up on the losing side. Her adaptability and aggressive intent at the top of the order once again underlined her reputation as one of the most reliable and dynamic batters in the modern game.
Sophie Ecclestone
Rarely does a month pass in the international calendar without Sophie Ecclestone imposing herself across formats. True to form, July saw the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler dominating with both ball and bat. Against India, Ecclestone delivered clinical spells in all three ODIs, returning five wickets and leading England’s bowling charts in the series. She backed this with 5 wickets at an average of 29 and an economy of 7.63 in as many appearances, often striking crucial blows in the powerplay or during the death overs, ending as the 2nd highest wicket-taker for England in the T20I series.
What set Ecclestone apart this month was her handy batting, a trait steadily becoming part of her all-round repertoire. She tallied 24 ODI runs, but it was her T20I cameo, a 23-ball blitz yielding 35 runs in Bristol, that turned heads and played a key role in England’s momentum shifts. She ended as England’s 5th-highest run-scorer of the T20I series with 66 runs at a strike rate of 150 and an average of 22 in five innings with the bat for her side. Her presence remained integral in turning tight matches England’s way and highlights her invaluable status in the team setup.
Gaby Lewis
Bringing a welcome Irish flavour to this month’s shortlist, Gaby Lewis shone brightly in Ireland’s dominant series wins over Zimbabwe at home. Leading from the front, the Ireland captain seized the Player of the Series mantle in the T20Is, compiling an astonishing 154 runs in a couple of innings, both of which were half-centuries (67 and 87), topping the run-scoring charts in the series, at a strike-rate of 155.55, and an average of 77 an extraordinary feat that underpinned her team’s clean sweep in the format.
Lewis’s contributions didn’t stop with the bat in T20Is; she was equally efficient in ODIs, accumulating 95 runs at a strike rate of 79.16 and an average of 47.50, including a half-century in the two-match series and successfully anchoring Irish batting innings. Her maturity, infectious leadership, and ability to control proceedings in both formats have propelled Ireland’s charge and earned her deserved recognition among the game’s elite performers.
Loves all things female cricket