Vishmi Among ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominees

Sri Lanka’s Vishmi Gunaratne is among the ICC Women’s Player of the Month nominees for June.

According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Sri Lanka skipper in the 2023 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup continues to scale new heights at the senior level, with the latest showcase of her skills coming in a home series against West Indies.

Gunaratne was the Player of the Series for her 134 runs at 44.66 (Strike rate 83.22), with her crucial contributions of 40, 50 and 44 helping Sri Lanka lay a strong foundation in each of their three wins in the ODIs. It was Sri Lanka’s first whitewash of West Indies since 2008.

Continuing her good form into the first T20I against West Indies, she was the equal joint-highest scorer with 35 in the Sri Lanka innings during a successful chase of 136.

With 61 runs in the T20I series, the 18-year-old finished June with 195 international runs.

The other nominees are Smriti Mandhana from India, and Maia Bouchier of England.

Smriti Mandhana enjoyed an Indian summer when she took on the South African attack in the three-game ODI series in Bengaluru and the one-off Test in Chennai.

Mandhana played a role in each contest, scoring back-to-back hundreds in the first two ODIs (117 and 136), before missing out on a ton in the third ODI by just 10 runs. Her contributions (343 runs at an average of 114.33 and a strike-rate of 103.93) helped India to a 3-0 series win against the Proteas. She also pitched in with the ball, picking up one wicket.

Continuing her exceptional run in the red-ball format, Mandhana hit 149 to guide India to the highest-ever total in Women’s Tests. Based on a solid first innings effort, India won the game by 10 wickets.

In the running for her second ICC Women’s Player of the Month award in 2024, the middle-order batter turned opener Maia Bouchier put up a stellar performance in June.

In her two outings against the White Ferns, Bouchier was dismissed only once while scoring her 167 runs at a stunning strike rate of 121. A 67 from merely 50 balls in a stand of 137 along with Tammy Beaumont then helped England cruise to a comfortable nine-wicket win in the first ODI in Chester-le-Street.

She went one better in the next ODI, slamming an unbeaten 100 off 88 balls in a chase of 142. She won the Player of the Match award for her efforts. (newsfirst)