Sophie Ecclestone Pips Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana To Win ICC Player Of The Month Award For June 2021

England spinner Sophie Ecclestone has been named as the women’s ICC Player of the Month for June. She has been chosen over India‘s Shafali Verma and Sneh Rana, both of whom were also nominated for the award based on their performances last month.

Sophie Ecclestone, the left-arm spinner, was all over India in the 3 matches – she picked 8 wickets in the one-off Test match at an average of 25.75; she also bagged 3 wickets in each of the two ODIs at an average of 12.16 and an economy rate of 3.65 helping England win the series, and ran away with the Player of the Series award with two more scalps in the third ODI.

Shafali Verma was the Player of the Match in the Test in Bristol for her twin fifties on debut – the first Indian woman to do so. She struck 96 in the first innings – highest by an Indian woman on debut – and 63 in the second essay. She also aggregated 59 runs in two ODIs at a strike rate of 85.50.

Sneh Rana staged an act of defiance in India’s second innings with her 80* saving the Test after India were made to follow on. Earlier in the match, she finished with a four-wicket haul.

“A bucketload of wickets in June means this England star was voted the women’s #ICCPOTM winner,” the ICC tweeted announcing Sophie Ecclestone as the winner for the award for the previous month.

A bucketload of wickets in June means this England star was voted the women's #ICCPOTM winner! ? pic.twitter.com/zFtAt8D0L9

— ICC (@ICC) July 12, 2021

Devon Conway named men’s ICC Player Of The Month for June 2021

New Zealand opener Devon Conway has pipped over Quinton de Kock, and Kyle Jamieson to be named the men’s ICC Player Of The Month for June 2021 on the back of his brilliant performances in Test cricket.

The Kiwi opener had a sensational start to his Test career, smashing a double hundred on his debut Test innings against England at Lord’s; he followed it up with an 80 in Birmingham and then with a score of 54 in the WTC final against India as New Zealand became the first World Test Champions.

Conway’s teammate pacer Kyle Jamieson was the Man of the Match in the final versus India for his five-for in the first innings, and 2 wickets, that of Virat Kohli and Chetehswar Pujara, in the second innings. Earlier, in the Lord’s Test, he had picked up 3 wickets.

South African opener Quinton de Kock had an outstanding month of June in both red-ball and white-ball cricket against West Indies. He smacked 141* and 96 in the two Tests; then the left-hander hit 135 runs at a strike rate of 142.10 in the 3 T20Is in June.

? WTC21 champion
? Double century on Test debut

This @BLACKCAPS star has been voted the men's #ICCPOTM for June ? pic.twitter.com/bMVGduhabL

— ICC (@ICC) July 12, 2021

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