Gus Atkinson and Chamari Athapaththu bag ICC Player of the Month award for July 2024

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday, August 12, announced the winners of the ICC Men's Player of the Month and ICC Women's Player of the Month awards for July 2024. Last week, the ICC named Gus Atkinson, Washington Sundar, and Charlie Cassell as the nominees for the ICC Men's Player of the Month for July.

Well, Gus Atkinson, England's rising pace bowling star, has been crowned the ICC Men's Player of the Month for July 2024 for his explosive performance in his debut Test series against the West Indies at home. He outclassed India’s Sundar and Scotland’s Cassell to receive the honor.

Gus Atkinson named ICC Men's Player of the Month for July 2024 after stunning Test debut

Atkinson's sensational bowling throughout the three-match Test series helped England to whitewash the West Indies in the home series. His extraordinary display of pace and precision saw him outshine India's spin all-rounder Sundar and Scotland's seamer Charlie Cassell, who also excelled last month.

This honor comes as a testament to Atkinson's incredible impact in his debut Test series against the West Indies. Atkinson made a stunning debut in Test cricket, taking 12 wickets in his first match, including five-wicket hauls in both innings at Lord’s. His remarkable 7/45 in the first innings led to the West Indies being bowled out for just 121, and he followed up with another five-wicket haul (5/61) to secure a massive win for England.

Atkinson’s dominance with the ball continued in the home Test series, as he added 10 more wickets across the remaining two Tests, including a four-wicket haul in the final Test. With a total of 22 wickets in three Tests, Atkinson was named Player of the Series and now won the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for July 2024.

It is a real privilege to win the ICC Player of the Month award: Atkinson

Gus Atkinson was quoted as saying by the ICC on winning the award: “It is a real privilege to win the ICC Player of the Month! The start to my Test career has been unbelievable, and I never imagined achieving this level of success in my first series with England. I am incredibly grateful to my teammates and the fantastic environment created by Baz (Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy (Ben Stokes).”

The star pacer added, “It's an honour to play and represent my country. I know there is a lot of hard work ahead, especially with a big series against Sri Lanka coming up. I'm excited to maintain consistency and do my best to help England succeed.”

Chamari Athapaththu’s stellar Asia Cup 2024 performance earns her ICC Women’s Player of the Month award

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s inspirational captain, Chamari Athapaththu, defeated the formidable contenders, such as India’s star openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, to clinch the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July 2024.

This accolade marks Athapaththu’s third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award, equaling the record of the West Indies’ Hayley Matthews as the joint second-most successful cricketer in the Women’s Player of the Month award history.

They are now only behind Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner, who has 4 ICC Women’s Player of the Month awards to her name so far. Athapaththu was instrumental in Sri Lanka's Asia Cup 2024 triumph, scoring 304 runs at a strike rate of 146.85 last month.

Athapaththu said on the honor: “I am happy and honored to have been chosen as the ICC Women's Player of the Month' for the third time. I believe these recognitions will send a positive message to thousands of girls who are already playing cricket in my country and also elsewhere and want to play for their country; that commitment and dedication for the game will one day pay off.”