Bumrah, Mandhana clinch ICC Player of the Month awards for June

Dubai, July 9 (IANS) India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and batter Smriti Mandhana have clinched the ICC Player of the Month honour in men's and women's category, respectively, for the month of June following their impressive recent performances, the International Council for Cricket announced on Tuesday.
 

Bumrah came out on top in the men’s vote from compatriot Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan, while Mandhana won the women’s award by overcoming England’s Maia Bouchier and Sri Lanka’s Vishmi Gunaratne.

The pacer, bagged his first ICC Men’s Player of the Month award, had an exceptional run in India's title-winning T20 World Cup campaign in the USA and West Indies. He was awarded Player of the Tournament for his 15 wickets at an economy rate of 4.17 in eight matches.

On the other hand, Mandhana also won her maiden ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after her scintillating batting performances lit up India’s ODI series victory over South Africa.

The double-win marks the first time the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month represent the same country since the awards began in 2021.

Reacting to his award win, Bumrah, commented, "I am delighted to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June. It’s a special honour for me following a memorable few weeks spent in the USA and West Indies. We have had a lot to celebrate as a team, and I’m delighted to be able to add this personal accolade to the list.

"To perform as well as we did at the tournament and lift the trophy at the end is incredibly special, and I will carry those memories with me forever.I wish to congratulate my captain Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for their excellent performances in the same period, and I am humbled to have been chosen as the winner.

"Finally, I want to thank my family, all of my teammates and coaches as well as the fans who have voted for me. Their support pushes me to compete at the best of my ability in national colours," he added.

Mandhana played a starring role in India’s sweep over South Africa in the ODI series last month. The opener set the tone for her prolific spell at the crease with a commanding 117 in the first outing in Bengaluru. She went one better in the second match, hitting her second successive century and top scoring in a game that saw 646 runs in total. The opener blitzed the South African bowling attack, smashing 136 in 120 balls and in tandem with her captain Harmanpreet Kaur, posted just enough to see off the resurgent visitors.

She came close to sealing a hat-trick of hundreds in the final outing, falling agonisingly on 90 in a stylish effort that ensured India recorded a comfortable victory to close out the series.

During the period, Mandhana recorded 343 runs at an average of 114.33, with a strike rate of over 100, earning her the Player of the Series award.

“I’m really glad to have won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for June. I’m really happy with the way the team has performed and I’m happy to have contributed. For us, we won the ODI and the Test series and hopefully we can continue our form and I can further contribute to win more matches for India," Mandhana said,

Bumrah and Mandhana won following a vote conducted among global fans registered at icc-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and media representatives.

--IANS

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