Jasprit Bumrah, the hero of India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign, put another feather to his cap on Tuesday by being awarded the ‘ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June’.
Jasprit Bumrah, the hero of India’s winning T20 World Cup campaign, put another feather to his cap on Tuesday by being awarded the ‘ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June’. Smriti Mandhana, India’s vice-captain, was also named the ‘Women’s Player of the Month’ by the global organization, making it a double treat. Mandhana received her maiden ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after playing an important part in India’s ODI series victory over South Africa last month.
Bumrah won the men’s vote over compatriot Rohit Sharma and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, while Mandhana claimed the women’s prize over England’s Maia Bouchier and Sri Lanka’s Vishmi Gunaratne.
Bumrah, who took 15 wickets to win the T20 global tournament last month, was also named Men’s Player of the Month for June, the ICC revealed.
“I am delighted to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June,” Bumrah stated in an ICC statement.
“It is a wonderful honor for me after a memorable few weeks in the United States and the West Indies. We’ve had a lot to celebrate as a team, and I’m thrilled to add this personal achievement to the list.” The 30-year-old was at his consistent best in the United States and the Caribbean, bowling at an average of 8.26 and an astounding economy rate of 4.17.
He joined Virat Kohli (a two-time winner) as Indian players to win the Men’s T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament award.
India became the first team to win the men’s T20 World Cup without losing a game throughout the competition.
With the exception of a washout against Canada in the first round, Rohit Sharma’s India won all eight matches in the event.
“To perform as well as we did at the tournament and lift the trophy at the end is incredibly special, and I will carry those memories with me forever,” Bumrah told the crowd.
“I wish to congratulate my captain Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for their excellent performances in the same period, and I am humbled to have been chosen as the winner.” In the women’s game, Mandhana set the tone with a dominant 117 in her debut in Bengaluru.
The hosts struggled early, falling to 99 for five, but Mandhana did not waver. With the help of some lower order resistance, India managed to amass a strong 265 from their 50 overs, greatly surpassing the Proteas.
With a total of 646 runs scored in the second game, Mandhana went one better, scoring the most with her second consecutive century. Together with her captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the opener destroyed the South African bowling attack, hitting 136 in 120 balls, and they scored just enough runs to defeat the visitors who were on the rise.
In the last match, she nearly achieved a hat-trick of hundreds, falling painfully on 90 in a polished effort that made sure India won the series handily.
Mandhana won Player of the Series after scoring 343 runs at an average of 114.33 with a strike rate of over 100 throughout that time.
I’m overjoyed to have been named the June ICC Women’s Player of the Month. The team’s performance has me quite pleased, and I’m glad I could help.We won the Test and ODI series, so hopefully we can keep up our success and I can help India win more games,” Mandhana stated.
