June’s ICC Players of the Month: Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana
Hero of India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign, Jasprit Bumrah, threw another feather in his cap on Tuesday as he was named the ‘ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June’.
India experienced double joy as Smriti Mandhana, the vice captain of the women’s team, was also recognized by the international organization as the “Women’s Player of the Month.” After being a key player in India’s ODI series victory over South Africa last month, Mandhana was awarded her first ICC Women’s Player of the Month award.
In the men’s category, Bumrah defeated fellow countrymen Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan, while Mandhana was victorious in the women’s category, defeating Maia Bouchier of England and Vishmi Gunaratne of Sri Lanka.
The Men’s Player of the Month award for June went to Bumrah, who amassed 15 wickets to win the T20 world championship last month and was named Player-of-the-Tournament by the ICC.
“I am delighted to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June,” Bumrah said in the ICC statement.
“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.”
The 30-year-old bowled with an astounding economy rate of 4.17 while averaging 8.26, his most consistent performance coming in the USA and Caribbean.
He won the Men’s T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament title alongside India’s own two-time champion, Virat Kohli.
The first side to win the men’s T20 World Cup without dropping a single match was India.
Barring a washout against Canada in the first round, the Rohit Sharma-led India went on to win all eight matches they played in the tournament.
“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,” Bumrah said.
“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.”
Mandhana established the tone in the women’s match with a dominant 117 in the opening match in Bengaluru. The hosts struggled early, falling to 99 for five, but Mandhana did not waver. With the help of some lower order resistance, India managed to amass a strong 265 from their 50 overs, greatly surpassing the Proteas.
With a total of 646 runs scored in the second game, Mandhana went one better, scoring the most with her second consecutive century. Together with her captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the opener destroyed the South African bowling attack, hitting 136 in 120 balls, and they scored just enough runs to defeat the visitors who were on the rise.
In the last match, she nearly achieved a hat-trick of hundreds, falling painfully on 90 in a polished effort that made sure India won the series handily.
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.
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