Hayley Matthews wins ICC Women's Player of the Month award for June

Dubai, July 14 (IANS) West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews has outclassed Tazmin Brits and teammate Afy Fletcher to win the ICC Women's Player of the Month for June.

Matthews bagged her fourth monthly accolade, having also claimed the honour in November 2021, October 2023 and April 2024. With her fourth win, Matthews is tied with Australia's Ash Gardner for the most ICC Women's Player of the Month honours.

The West Indies skipper was recognised after another strong showing, mostly in the shortest format, claiming another Player of the Series trophy in a 2-1 T20I victory at home over South Africa.

Upon the news, Matthews was quick to look at the bigger while appreciating another accolade. "It’s an honour to receive the Player of the Month award again. I’ve been pleased with my form recently, but more importantly, it’s been great to contribute to the team’s success - especially in a hard-fought T20I series against South Africa," she said.

"Recognition like this is appreciated, but my focus remains on what’s ahead. There’s a lot more I want to achieve, both personally and with this team. We’re heading in the right direction, and I’m excited about where we can go from here," Mathews added.

Matthews made 147 runs at a strike rate of 120.49 and an average of 73.50 in the series, chiming in with two wickets bowling her vital off-spin to the West Indies cause.

After a modest 19 in the first match, she anchored the innings with an unbeaten knock of 63 and then 65, leading West Indies to fight back from a 0-1 deficit to win the series 2-1.

While not at her best in the ODI series and hampered by a shoulder complaint, which she is set to undergo surgery for, Matthews still contributed for her team, registering 40 and 56 with the bat, and taking four wickets at 34.25 in a 2-1 defeat.

--IANS

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