India all-rounder Washington Sundar has been shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Month award for July 2024.

Sundar played a key role in India’s 4-1 T20I series victory over Zimbabwe last month. With many regular T20I players resting after their T20 World Cup win, Sundar seized the opportunity to shine.

He was crucial to India’s success, taking six more wickets in the remaining four matches. His outstanding performance in the third T20I, where he recorded figures of 3/15, earned him the Player-of-the-Match title. Sundar finished the series with the joint-most wickets (eight) and was named Player-of-the-Series.

As the regular players returned for the Sri Lanka series, Sundar played only one match but made a significant impact in the third ODI, which went to a Super Over.

In a low-scoring match, Sundar’s vital 25 off 18 balls helped India post a competitive total of 137/8. When Sri Lanka seemed on the verge of victory, needing just 23 runs from 24 balls with eight wickets remaining, Sundar’s two wickets in two deliveries in his final over sparked a dramatic comeback.

Sundar was entrusted with the ball in the Super Over, where he excelled by taking two wickets and conceding only two runs, leading India to win the match and complete a 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka.

In addition to Sundar, England’s Gus Atkinson and Scotland’s Charlie Cassell have also been nominated for the ICC Player of the Month award for July 2024.

At Lord’s, Atkinson made his Test debut in what could be seen as a symbolic moment as it was James Anderson’s final international match. Atkinson made a spectacular first impression by taking 12 wickets in his debut Test, including five wickets in each innings. His remarkable performance of 7/45 in the first innings helped dismiss the West Indies for just 121 runs. He followed this with another five-wicket haul (5/61), leading England to an innings victory by 114 runs. Atkinson’s impressive form continued throughout the series, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with 22 dismissals and earning the Player of the Series award.

Scotland’s Charlie Cassell also made headlines with his outstanding performance on his ODI debut against Oman in Dundee last month. Cassell’s memorable debut saw him claim seven wickets for just 21 runs, breaking Kagiso Rabada’s record (6/16) for the best bowling figures on ODI debut.