India openers Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu have been nominated for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for July 2024.
Smriti Mandhana, India's vice-captain, aims for back-to-back wins after her ICC Women's Player of the Month award in June 2024. In July, she scored 273 runs in T20Is at an average of 68.25 and a strike rate of 139.28. Her standout performance included a career-best 149 in the one-off Test against South Africa in Chennai. Mandhana and Shafali Verma set a record for the highest-ever first-wicket partnership in Women's Tests with 292 runs, leading India to a 10-wicket victory. She also scored 100 runs in two T20Is against South Africa, including a crucial 54 not out in the series-deciding match, and amassed 173 runs in the Women's Asia Cup, where she top-scored with 60 in the final.
Shafali Verma is nominated for her impressive July performance, where she accumulated 229 runs in Tests and 245 runs in T20Is. She became the second Indian woman to score a double century in Tests, achieving the fastest-ever double hundred in Women's Tests with 205 runs, contributing to India's record total of 603/6 and a 10-wicket win over South Africa. In the Women's Asia Cup, Shafali was the second-highest run-scorer, with 200 runs at a strike rate of 140.84, including a quickfire 40 against Pakistan and a career-best 81 against Nepal.
Chamari Athapaththu had a standout month, leading Sri Lanka to victory in the Women's Asia Cup on home soil. She scored 304 runs in the tournament at an average of 101.33 and a strike rate of 146.85. Her performances included an unbeaten 119 against Malaysia and crucial half-centuries in the knockout stages, including the semi-final against Pakistan and the final, where she led Sri Lanka to victory in a packed Dambulla stadium.