The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday, August 5 named Player of the Month nominees for July for men and women. Washington Sundar, Gus Atkinson and Scotland's Charlie Cassell, who broke the best figures on ODI debut record, have been nominated among the men while Indian openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana and Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu have been nominated among women for being the best performers among women in July.
Sundar, who was the Player of the Series for India in Zimbabwe with eight wickets in five matches, ended the month on a superb note with a Player of the Match performance in the only T20I he played against Sri Lanka. Sundar scored an 18-ball 25 before taking a couple of wickets in a match that went to the Super Over and India won it eventually to seal the series 3-0.
Atkinson, on the other hand, was named England's Player of the Series in his debut Test assignment against the West Indies. Atkinson picked up 22 wickets in three matches including a 12-wicket haul on his Test debut and 7-45 in the first innings he bowled at Lord's.
Another pacer apart from Atkinson to be nominated was Scotland's Charlie Cassell, who on his international debut, became the first-ever bowler in ODI history to take a 7-fer on his debut in the format.
Among women, Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu is probably the favourite given how she played in the Asia Cup T20 leading her side to their maiden title. Athpaththu scored 300 runs in five matches including a century and a couple of fifties. The other two nominees Mandhana and Verma were the second and third leading run-getters through the tournament and played a huge part in India reaching the final before faltering at the final hurdle against Sri Lanka.
