ICC Player of the Month nominees for July 2023.Check out now

The International Cricket Council announced the finalists for the ICC Men's and Women's Player of the Month awards for the month of July 2023. This month saw the conclusion of the men's and women's Ashes series in England, and many of the top performers from both series have been nominated for the award.

The shortlist for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award features three first-time nominees in the ICC Player of the Month awards - two stars of England's spirited fightback in the men's Ashes series' memorable conclusion, and the key figure in the Netherlands' successful qualification campaign for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

England opener Zak Crawley headed the run-scoring charts for the home team and inspired England's series comeback from the top of the order with a series of impressive batting performances. Chris Woakes returned to the team facing a 2-0 series deficit and bowled superbly throughout the remainder of the series, claiming crucial wickets.

Bas de Leede of the Netherlands completed the shortlist with a performance for the ages in the winner-takes-all match against Scotland in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. As a consequence of his heroics, the Netherlands qualified for the Cricket World Cup for the first time since 2011.

The ICC Women's Player of the Month shortlist includes three illustrious individuals, including a three-time recipient of the award, the current holder of the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy for ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year, and the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Decade, who was crowned in 2020.

Ashleigh Gardner is no stranger to the ICC Women's Player of the Month awards, and the Australian hopes to achieve back-to-back honours after another all-round performance in July. Ellyse Perry celebrates her first nomination following a month of consistent performance across all formats. The final contender for July's crown is England's Nat Sciver-Brunt, the 2022 ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year, whose outstanding form continues to be rewarded after she scored centuries in each of the last two ODIs to secure the series draw with Australia.

Next week, the winners will be announced after an independent ICC Voting Academy* and cricket fans from around the world cast their ballots. Fans who have registered at icc-cricket.com/awards have until Saturday to vote for their preferred performers.

ICC Men's Player of the Month Nominee for July

Zak Crawley (England)

During the month of July, the England opener scored 412 runs at a remarkable average of 58.85 against a formidable bowling lineup that was recently crowned ICC World Test Champions. Throughout the four July Tests, Crawley not only neutralised the threat posed by Australia's strike bowlers, but also counterattacked, as exemplified by his remarkable innings of 189 in 182 deliveries in Manchester. This performance and Crawley's valuable 73 in the second innings of the decisive fifth Test contributed to England's dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to tie the series.

Bas de Leede (Netherlands)

During the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, the Netherlands enjoyed a remarkable run of results, with several notable individual performances paving their path to qualification. In the winner-takes-all match against Scotland, the stakes were at their highest, and de Leede produced an unforgettable performance with the bat and ball to secure their passage to India. Taking his first five-wicket haul (for 52 runs) to restrict the opposition to 277, de Leede then steered the Dutch response under intense pressure to perfection with a searing 123 from 92 balls, ensuring his team edged Scotland to qualify.

Chris Woakes (England)

Returning to the England Test squad for the third Test in Leeds, Woakes was instrumental in the dramatic turnaround that saw the host team overcome a 2-0 deficit and tie the series. In addition to scoring the winning runs in the Test at Leeds, the pacer bowled superbly in each of his three appearances during the month of July, claiming 19 wickets at an average of 18.15 to earn England's Player of the Series award.

ICC Women's Player of the Month Nominee for July

Ashleigh Gardner (Australia)

The winner of the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for the previous month seeks to become the first player to win back-to-back awards after a string of impressive performances in the Women's Ashes in England and subsequent ODI series against Ireland. Gardner's 232 runs and 15 wickets in 8 ODI and T20I matches in July, in which she made significant contributions with the bat and took crucial wickets at regular intervals, exemplified her significant influence in an Australian team filled with individual talents.

Ellyse Perry (Australia)

The Australian all-rounder is nominated for the first time as a candidate for the ICC Women's Player of the Month due to a string of consistent scores against England and Ireland in short format matches. Perry averaged 69 in the format during the month of July, accumulating 276 runs in four ODIs against both opponents, including two scores of 90+. In addition, she performed well in the Ashes T20I matches, scoring 92 runs, including a fifty at the Oval. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt (ENG) 

During England's matches in July, the current holder of the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy was once again at the forefront of a series of remarkable performances. Faced with the possibility of losing the Ashes, Sciver-Brunt delivered two outstanding performances in his last two ODI matches. Her career-defining series culminated with scores of 111 not out and 129, which earned her the Player of the Series award and the top position in the ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings for batters.