Devon Conway, Sophie Ecclestone win ICC Player of the Month Award for June 2021

Devon Conway edged out his teammate Kyle Jamieson and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock to bag the award. Ecclestone, on the other hand, won ahead of India's teen batting sensation Shafali Verma and all-rounder Sneh Rana.

New Zealand opener Devon Conway and England spinner Sophie Ecclestone on Monday won the ICC Player of the Month for June in the men’s and women’s category respectively. The Kiwi batter edged out his teammate Kyle Jamieson and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock to bag the award. Ecclestone, on the other hand, won ahead of India's teen batting sensation Shafali Verma and all-rounder Sneh Rana.

Devon Conway, Sophie Ecclestone win ICC Player of the Month Award for June 2021(HT Collage)

Conway became the first New Zealand player to win the award after an astounding first month in Test cricket. The left-hander had cracked a solid double century on debut against England at Lord's, following it up with two half-centuries in his next two games, including in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India in Southampton.

“I’m truly honoured to win this award. That I have received it for my performances in Test cricket makes it extra special,” Conway said.

“Scoring a double century at Lord's was a dream come true for me and to have also been able to contribute to our win over India in the ICC World Test Championship final is something that I know I will proudly look back on in years to come,” he added.

Left-arm spinner Ecclestone became the second English female to win the award after Tammy Beaumont, who was crowned in February. The left-arm spinner was the most successful bowler in the one-off Test against India in Bristol, finishing with an eight-wicket haul. She also grabbed three wickets each in the two ODIs which followed.

“It's really nice to win this award. It's after a period in which we've played all three formats so it feels good to be recognised for my performances in the Test and the white-ball series,” Ecclestone said in an ICC release.

“We've been happy as a team how we've performed across this series. We would have liked to have won the Test match but hopefully, we can clinch the multi-format series. It's all crucial preparation for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, when we'll be defending the title we won in 2017, and we feel in a decent place as a team,” she added.

(With PTI Inputs)