England’s new pace sensation, Gus Atkinson, who made a terrific
Test debut against the West Indies cricket team has bagged the ICC Player of the Month Award for July.
Gus Atkinson Made A Blockbuster Debut
Gus Atkinson marked his sensational debut with a 7-wicket haul in the first innings of the Lord’s Test match. His stunning performance was followed by a 5-wicket haul in the second innings to cap off a remarkable win for the home team.
Atkinson, who is being touted as the future of England bowling, made a terrific debut in the farewell Test match of James Anderson, and he turned out to be the chief destroyer in all three games as England won the series by 3-0. He finished with 22 wickets off just 3 games and was declared the Player of the Series as well.
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Atkinson Expressed His Feelings After Winning The Award
“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.” Atkinson told the International Cricket Council (ICC) after winning the award.
Atkinson added: “I am incredibly grateful to my teammates and the fantastic environment created by Baz (Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy (Ben Stokes).”
“It’s an honor 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.”
Gus Atkinson defeated Scotland’s Charlie Cassell and India’s Washington Sundar to claim the men’s award.
Chamari Athapaththu Also Won The Women’s Player of the Month
In other news, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu was crowned the Women’s Player of the Month. She defeated Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Varma to bag the award.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month, Chamari Athapaththu expressed her delight by 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 acknowledgment for my efforts, achieved with the support of my teammates and coaches, being continuously recognized 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.”
Notably, Atkinson and Chamari both the players won following a vote conducted among global fans registered at ICC-cricket.com and a specialist panel, which consisted of ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and media representatives.
