Australian women's cricket team's star allrounder Ashleigh Gardner and England's fast bowling allrounder Chris Woakes have emerged as the winners of the ICC Player of the Month award for July. Gardner scripted history by becoming the first-ever player (male or female) to clinch the prestigious award in consecutive months.
She was competing with compatriot and fellow allrounder Ellyse Perry and England's Nat Sciver-Brunt. The batting allrounder pipped both competitors and won the award for the fourth time in her career.
"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 told ICC.
"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. 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.
"As the Ashes showed the standard of women’s cricket is continually rising and the game is throwing up a lot of challenges. 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. 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," she concluded.
On the other hand, Woakes was rewarded for his heroics in the recently culminated Ashes which ended in a stalemate. Woakes was awarded the Player of the Series after he contributed both with the bat and ball in hand. He left behind compatriot Zak Crawley and Netherlands' star allrounder Bas de Leede to claim the award.
"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," Woakes told ICC.
"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," he added.
