Shaheen Afridi beaten! Gudakesh Motie announced as the ICC Player of the Month for May 2024

International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday (13th May) announced the Player of the Month for May. West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie has been rewarded for his performances in May and claimed his first award. He beat Shaheen Afridi and Lorcan Tucker to bag the award.

Gudakesh Motie came up with incredible performances in May. He played a role in West Indies registering the 3-0 series win over South Africa last month. He made a vital contribution to his team in all three games and posed serious questions to the Proteas batter throughout the three games.

Gudakesh Motie started the series on high as bagged three wickets in the first game and then followed it up with another three-wicket haul in the second game, returning with the figures of 3/22. In the last match of the series, he chipped in with 2 wickets and finished with eight wickets in the series at an average of 8.5.

Gudakesh Motie, who was awarded Player of the Series against South Africa, has continued his fine form with the ball in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. He has picked five wickets at an average of 11 and helped West Indies reach the Super 8 stage of the tournament.

Talking about winning the Player of the Month award, Gudakesh Motie stated that it means a lot to him. He also stated that a standout performance for him was during the series against South Africa where he registered figures of 3/25. Speaking to ICC, he explained:

"It means a lot to me and I am very happy to win this award. It’s very encouraging, I have put in a lot of work during this season and I am happy that I am seeing the rewards now. The standout performance for me during the series against South Africa was the first game, where I took three for 25. The third wicket that night was my favourite."

Gudakesh Motie also talked about playing World Cup and stated that it's a huge thing playing in front of the home ground. He also expressed his confidence in his team playing in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024. He added:

“Playing in a World Cup means a lot to me, and playing at home in front of our fans and knowing the conditions is also special. We have started strongly, playing three games and getting three wins, and I see us going all the way and lifting that cup on 29 June.”

Chamari Athapaththu wins the ICC Women's Player of the Month

Apart from the ICC Player of the Month for Men's, Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu won the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for a second time.

In the 4 games that she played in Month, she scored 151 runs at an average of 37.75 and was equally as impressive with the ball as she picked up six scalps at merely 9.16 runs per wicket. She pipped Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce and England's Sophie Ecclestone to win the award.