ICC announces Men's Player of the Month nominees for July

The spectacular Ashes series between Australia and England dominated the month of July, so it is no surprise that two of the three nominees for the ICC Player of the Month are star performers from the series.

Considering England were down 0-2 at the start of July, their rise to winning two of the following three games was built on sensational performances from bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes and opening batter Zak Crawley.

Young sensation Bas de Leede, who starred for the Netherlands in the World Cup 2023 qualifiers, joins the English duo as the third nominee for Player of the Month honours. The 23-year-old's magnificent all-round performance led the Dutch to qualify for the showpiece event later this year in India.

While the winner will be announced in a few days, let us look closely at the performances of each of the three nominees in July.

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#1 Chris Woakes

Woakes was the Player of the Series despite playing only three of the five Ashes Tests.

Talismanic all-rounder Chris Woakes turned the Ashes series on its head following his inclusion in the third Test after missing out on the playing XI in the opening two games. With the hosts trailing 0-2, the 34-year-old showcased his all-round value to the side in the third Test at Headingley.

Woakes picked up six vital wickets in the match and scored an unbeaten 32 in England's tense final innings run chase of 251. The wily pacer then picked up his first Ashes five-wicket haul in the first innings of the drawn fourth Test in Manchester and bagged another seven wickets in the final Test at the Oval.

His exploits helped England overcome a 0-2 deficit and level the series at 2-2 to prevent Australia from winning their first Test series on English soil since 2001.

Woakes finished the month with 19 wickets at an average of 18.15, coupled with his match-winning knock in the third Test, earning him the Player of the Series.

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#2 Zak Crawley

Zak Crawley produced the innings of the Ashes at Manchester.

Following the first two Tests, Zak Crawley's place in the side was heavily scrutinized, with the opener continuing to throw away several starts.

However, staying true to the Bazball approach and blocking all the outside noise, the 25-year-old scripted a remarkable turnaround in the final three games. Crawley scored a valuable 33 and 44 in a low-scoring third Test at Headingley before playing the knock of the Ashes in the penultimate fixture at Manchester.

The attacking opener thwarted the quality Aussie bowling lineup to all parts of the ground in his 189 off 182 balls, propelling England to a dominant position. Crawley had another solid outing in the final Test, scoring 22 and 73 to help England win by 49 runs and level the series.

Overall, Zak Crawley scored 412 runs (including the 51 in the second Test) at an average of 58.85 in July.

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#3 Bas de Leede

Bas de Leede starred with ball and bat to power the Dutch to the World Cup.

Having already played an integral role in the Netherlands progressing to the Super Six stage of the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers, Bas de Leede put on one of the best ODI performances in the do-or-die encounter against Scotland.

The 23-year-old took 5/52 in his 10 overs before scoring a blistering 123 off 92 deliveries to single-handedly propel the Dutch to a four-wicket victory. His heroics ensured the Netherlands finished in the top two, slightly ahead of Scotland, to qualify for the Main World Cup in India.

Bas de Leede also became only the fifth cricketer (men and women) in ODI history to achieve the double of a century and a five-wicket haul in a match. The all-rounder also scored 39 against Oman, which the Netherlands won by 74 runs.

He finished as the third leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 15 scalps and also scored 285 runs at an average of 47.50 and a strike rate over 100.