England seamer Gus Atkinson has been named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for July 2024 after his heroics in the Test series against West Indies.
England pacer overcame stiff competition from India all-rounder Washington Sundar and Scotland seamer Charlie Cassell to claim the honour.
"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)," Atkinson said as quoted by ICC.
"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," the pacer added.
In July, Atkinson made his scintillating Test debut in what was James Anderson's farewell international match, bagging 12 wickets to make a fantastic first impression.
The brilliant spell included a five-for in each innings as the 26-year-old ran through the West Indies batting order to record incredible figures of 7/45 in the first innings, bundling out the visitors for just 121.
He followed up the initial heroics with yet another five-wicket haul (5/61) as England recorded an innings win by 114 runs.
For a total of 12 wickets, he was the undisputed choice for the Player of the Match award, as per the ICC.
Atkinson continued his impressive form, taking 10 more wickets across the remaining two Tests. This included a four-wicket haul in the first innings of the final Test in Birmingham. He also contributed with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 21 in the second Test at Nottingham and another 21 in the final match.
Finishing as the series' leading wicket-taker with 22 dismissals, Atkinson won the Player of the Series award.
Chamari Athapaththu revealed as 'Player of the Month' for July 2024
Sri Lanka's talismanic skipper, Chamari Athapaththu, has outshone a strong field, surpassing India's star openers, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, to win the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for July 2024.
July was a prolific month for the southpaw, during which she achieved several new milestones. Athapaththu led Sri Lanka to their maiden Women's Asia Cup title in 2024, defeating seven-time champions India.
This marks the 34-year-old's third ICC Women's Player of the Month award, making her the joint second-most successful cricketer in this category. She is tied with West Indies' Hayley Matthews, with both players sitting just behind Australia's Ashleigh Gardner, who has won the award four times.
"I am happy and honoured to have been chosen as the ICC Women's Player of the Month for the third time, and it is heartening to see such recognition for my efforts--achieved with the support of my teammates and coaches--being continuously acknowledged by the cricketing world," Athapaththu said, as quoted by the ICC.
"I believe these recognitions will send a positive message to thousands of girls who are already playing cricket in my country and elsewhere, encouraging them that commitment and dedication to the game will one day pay off," the opener added.
This triumph is yet another significant achievement under Athapaththu's leadership in recent times. Over the last 12 months, Sri Lanka has set several milestones under her captaincy, including their first-ever T20I series wins against England and South Africa.
