Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday revealed the latest set of international stars to be named ICC Players of the Month for July 2023.
Australia’s prolific all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner becomes the first player to win back-to-back awards, claiming her fourth ICC Women’s Player of the Month prize following another scintillating set of performances against England and Ireland in July.
England seamer Chris Woakes wins the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for his fruitful contributions with the ball, helping his side claw back a two-nil deficit to close out their Ashes series on level terms.
Gardner and Woakes emerged victorious from votes gathered from global fans registered at icc-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and media representatives, an ICC media release said.
Following the success which saw her win the June award, Gardner continued her rich vein of form into July, this time demonstrating her prowess in the shorter formats. Returning a total of 232 runs with the bat, and 15 wickets with the ball, the all-rounder made telling contributions across the eight ODI and T20I fixtures she featured in during the calendar month.
In the earlier part of the month as her team pursued another Ashes triumph, Gardner provided valuable runs in the middle order to frustrate the hosts while also enjoying plenty of wicket-taking success. The number two ranked all-rounder in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings was at her destructive best as she took three wickets in each of the three ODIs that formed part of
the series.
Australia then travelled to Ireland for another ODI series, where the all-rounder chipped in with 65 runs in the first contest and took three more wickets in the second.
Gardner was thrilled to win back-to-back awards and looked forward to more challenges in the upcoming season.
“It’s a great honour to win the ICC Player of the Month for July and particularly to become the first player to win back-to-back awards,” she said.
“It’s been a really hectic time over with the Women’s Ashes and the tour of Ireland and I’m really pleased with what the Australian team has achieved,” Gardner said.
“From a personal perspective it’s also been pleasing I’ve been able to put in a some really consistent performances with bat and ball over that period,” she said.
“As the Ashes showed the standard of women’s cricket is continually rising and the game is throwing up a lot of challenges,” Gardner said.
“So, it is really nice to be rewarded for all the hard work we put in to meet the strong oppositions we’re now facing,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to the coming summer with the West Indies and South Africa touring as well as linking back up with Sydney Sixers in the WBBL,” Gardner added.
Gardner’s latest triumph sees her overcome Nat Sciver-Brunt and compatriot Ellyse Perry who were also shortlisted for their stellar performances in July.
Winning the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for the first time, England seamer Chris Woakes enjoyed a successful return to England’s Test team, driving their resurgence in the Ashes to claim a 2-2 draw amidst high drama.
Eventually named England’s Player of the Series, Woakes bowled probing spells throughout his Ashes outings. Even though he grabbed the headlines by hitting the winning runs in Leeds, it was his 19 wickets in three Ashes Tests at a remarkable average of 18.15 that truly illustrated the impact of his return on the momentum of the series.
Reflecting on his award win, Woakes said, “It’s very nice to have been voted ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July. Everything we did in the Ashes was a team effort, and no individual awards would be possible without everyone else doing their job but it’s always nice to be recognised, especially when it’s a public vote.”
“It was a great series, and I’m just very happy that it captured the imagination and attention of the public so much. It was great to have so much support and it was a hugely enjoyable series to play in,”
he said.
Woakes claimed the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award from fellow England nominee Zak Crawley and architect of the Netherland’s successful qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India, all-rounder Bas de Leede.
