Indian cricketers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, along with Sri Lanka’s captain Chamari Athapaththu, have been nominated for the International Cricket Council’s Women’s Player of the Month award for July 2024. Smriti, a left-handed opening batswoman and India’s vice-captain, is hoping to win the award for two months in a row after being named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month in June 2024. In July, she scored 273 runs with an average of 68.25 and a strike rate of 139.28 in T20 matches. She started July strongly with a personal best score of 149 in a Test match against South Africa in Chennai. Together with Shafali, another nominee, they scored 292 runs for the first wicket, which was the highest partnership for the first wicket in Women’s Test matches, helping India win the game by 10 wickets.
In the T20I series against South Africa, she scored 100 runs in two innings, including an unbeaten 54 in the last T20I, which helped India win by 10 wickets and tie the series. In the Women’s Asia Cup, Smriti scored 173 runs and was India’s top scorer in the final, making 60 runs from 47 balls with 10 fours.
Meanwhile, Shafali is nominated for scoring 229 runs in Test matches and 245 runs in T20I matches in July 2024. During her impressive partnership with Smriti in the one-off Test, Shafali became the second Indian woman to score a double century, following the legendary Mithali Raj.
She achieved this in 194 balls, making it the fastest double century in Women’s Tests, and also scored a quick 24 not out in the second innings. Her 205 in the first innings was India’s highest score as they set a record total of 603/6, the highest ever in Women’s Tests, leading them to beat South Africa by ten wickets.
After scoring 45 runs in the T20I series against South Africa, Shafali became the second-highest run-scorer in the Women’s Asia Cup, with her 200 runs coming at a strong strike rate of 140.84. This included a fast 40 runs off 29 balls against Pakistan, and a career-best 81 runs off 48 balls, with 12 fours and a six against Nepal.
Meanwhile, Chamari had a career-defining moment when she captained Sri Lanka to a memorable victory in the Women’s Asia Cup on home soil. The left-handed batter scored 304 runs during the competition at an average of 101.33 and a strike rate of 146.85.
Her standout performances included an unbeaten 119 against Malaysia and two crucial half-centuries in the knockout stages – in Sri Lanka’s tense semi-final victory over Pakistan, and the second one coming in the final to chase down 166 for victory in a sold-out Dambulla stadium.
