Finance
The July ICC men’s and women’s Player of the Month awards go to England spinner Sophia Dunkley and India Test captain Shubman Gill, respectively.
After fierce opposition from South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder and England Test captain Ben Stokes, Gill was named Player of the Month. He has already won Player of the Month in January, September 2023, and February of this year, making this his fourth time receiving the honor.
The 25-year-old had an incredible July, scoring 567 runs at a phenomenal average of 94.50 in three Test matches and blasting two hundreds and a double hundred in six appearances.
Gill said it was a pleasant honor to be recognized on his first tour as India’s Test captain.
“It feels great to be named the ICC Player of the Month for July. This time it holds a lot more significance since it has come for my performances during my first Test series as captain. The double ton in Birmingham is obviously something I will cherish forever and will be one of the highlights of my tour to England.
“The Test series against England was a learning experience for me as captain and we had some outstanding performances from both sides, which I am sure players from both sides will remember for a long time. I would like to thank the jury for selecting me for this award and my teammates who have been with me during the course of this exciting series. I look forward to continuing my form in the season ahead and bring more laurels for the country,” Gill said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Sophia Dunkley, won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for the first time because to her steady batting performance. For the monthly prize, she defeated fierce opposition from Ireland captain Gaby Lewis and England teammate Sophie Ecclestone.
In the second T20I against India in Bristol, the 27-year-old had a quiet start to the month. In the following game, though, she recovered magnificently, displaying her class with a dominant 75 off 53 balls, a hit that was crucial to England’s close six-run triumph.
Dunkley scored an outstanding 134.57 and tallied 144 runs at an average of 36 in the four Twenty20 Internationals. A strong all-around month with the bat for the in-form England hitter culminated with her scoring 126 runs at an average of 63 and a strike rate of 91.97 in the ODIs.
Speaking on winning the award, Dunkley said, “I am delighted to win the ICC Player of the Month award off the back of a really hard-fought series against India.
“We would have loved to have won the series but I think we’ll take a lot from it moving towards the ICC Women’s World Cup. India deserved their win and it was a great series to be a part of.”
Source: IANS
