ICC announces women's Player of the Month for July 2024

Sri Lanka’s captain, Chamari Athapaththu, has been named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July 2024. This is her second time winning the award this year, having previously claimed it in May. She outshined India’s star openers, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, to take the title.

July was a remarkable month for Athapaththu, who led Sri Lanka to their first-ever Women’s Asia Cup title, defeating seven-time champions India. Her consistent performances with the bat were crucial in Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run throughout the tournament.

This recognition marks the third time the 34-year-old has been named ICC Women’s Player of the Month, placing her among the top players in the award's history. She now shares the second spot for the most wins with West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, just behind Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner, who has four wins.

Athapaththu expressed her gratitude for the honor, saying, "I am happy and honored to have been chosen as the ICC Women's Player of the Month' for the third time and it is heartening to see such reckoning for the efforts of mine, achieved with the support of my teammates and coaches, being continuously recognised by the cricketing world."

"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."

Under Athapaththu’s leadership, Sri Lanka has achieved several milestones over the past year, including their first-ever T20I series wins against England and South Africa. They also secured a spot in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 by winning all their games in the Qualifier earlier this year.

In July, Athapaththu was in top form during the Asia Cup. After a modest start, she scored a career-best 119* against Malaysia and followed it up with an unbeaten 49* against Thailand. In the knockout stages, she played crucial match-winning innings, scoring 63 against Pakistan in the semi-final and 61 against India in the final. Her 304 runs at a strike rate of 146.85, along with her contributions with the ball, were key to Sri Lanka’s historic triumph.