Smriti, Shafali among ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominees

New Delhi: India openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, along with Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu have been nominated for ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July 2024.

Smriti, the left-handed opener and India’s vice-captain, is aiming to make it back-to-back success after winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award in June 2024, after making 273 runs at an average of 68.25 with a strike rate of 139.28 in T20Is in July.

She continued her prolific run into July, beginning with a career-best 149 in the one-off Test against South Africa at Chennai. Along with fellow nominee Shafali, she added 292 runs for the first wicket, which was the highest-ever partnership for the first wicket in Women’s Tests, setting the base for India winning the match by 10 wickets.

She followed this up with 100 runs from two innings in the T20I series against South Africa, including 54 not out in the final T20I which helped India win the contest by 10 wickets and square the series. In the Women’s Asia Cup, Smriti amassed 173 runs and was the top-scorer for India in the final, making 60 from 47 balls with 10 fours to her name.

On the other hand, Shafali earns a nomination after scoring 229 Test runs and 245 T20I runs in July 2024. During her standout opening stand with Smriti in the one-off Test, Shafali became just the second Indian woman to hit a double century after the legendary Mithali Raj.

She managed to reach the feat in 194 balls, which is now the fastest-ever double hundred made in Women’s Tests, and also made a brisk 24 not in the second innings. Her 205 in the first innings was the highest score for India as they posted a record total of 603/6, the highest-ever total in Women’s Tests, paving the way for them to beat South Africa by ten wickets.

After amassing 45 runs in the T20I series against South Africa, Shafali became the second-highest run-getter in the Women’s Asia Cup, with her 200 runs coming at an impressive strike rate of 140.84, which included a quickfire 40 off 29 balls against arch-rivals Pakistan, and a career-best 81 off 48 balls, with 12 fours and a six against Nepal.

Meanwhile, Chamari enjoyed a career-defining moment when she captained Sri Lanka to a memorable triumph in the Women’s Asia Cup on home soil. The left-handed batter hit 304 runs during the competition at an average of 101.33 and a strike rate of 146.85.

Her standout performances included an unbeaten 119 against Malaysia and two crucial half-centuries in the knockout stages - in Sri Lanka’s tense semi-final victory over Pakistan, and the second one coming in the final to chase down 166 against for victory in a sell-out Dambulla stadium.