Indian fast bowling maestro Jasprit Bumrah and star opener Smriti Mandhana have been honored as the ICC Male and Female Players of the Month for June, respectively. The announcement came from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on July 9. The ICC introduced these monthly accolades in January 2021 to recognize outstanding performances by male and female cricketers worldwide during each specific month.
Jasprit Bumrah triumphed over his compatriot and team captain Rohit Sharma and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz to claim the ICC Player of the Month award for June. Bumrah’s recognition stems from his pivotal role in India’s triumph at the 9th ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America. He earned the Player of the Tournament title for his exceptional bowling displays, scalping 15 wickets at an impressive average of 8.26 and an economy rate of 4.17.
In his statement to the ICC, Jasprit Bumrah expressed his gratitude for receiving the esteemed award. He said, “ I am delighted to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June. It’s a special honor for me following a memorable few weeks spent in the USA and West Indies. We have had a lot to celebrate as a team, and I’m delighted to be able to add this personal accolade to the list.” 
He highlighted India’s T20 World Cup triumph, “ 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.”
Smriti Mandhana
Furthermore, Smriti Mandhana clinched her maiden ICC Player of the Month award after surpassing England’s Maia Bouchier and Sri Lanka’s Vishmi Gunaratne for the prestigious title. Mandhana is widely acclaimed as one of the premier opening batters globally, earning this recognition for her exceptional performances against the touring South African team in both One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a Test match.
During the three-match ODI series against South Africa, India dominated with a 3-0 victory, driven significantly by Mandhana’s outstanding contributions. She showcased her exceptional skills with two centuries and a notable innings of 90 runs. In the one-off Test match, Mandhana further demonstrated her batting prowess by scoring a century and contributing significantly to India’s triumph by 10 wickets over the Proteas.
In her statement, Mandhana conveyed her appreciation to the cricketing board and said, “ I’m really glad to have won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for June. I’m really happy with the way the team has performed, and I’m happy to have contributed.” Focussing on the Women’s team’s recent performance, Mandhana added, “ For us, we won the ODI and the Test series, and hopefully, we can continue our form, and I can further contribute to winning more matches for India.”
