Arlene Kelly has been crowned the ICC Women's Player of the Month for her outstanding performance in August. This prestigious recognition comes as a result of her stellar contributions during a triumphant series against the Netherlands in the T20I format.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed the latest winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards from a host of stellar international performances during August on Tuesday, 12 September.
Kelly is the third Irish woman to have won this prestigious award, with Laura Delany and Eimear Richardson having previously won the award. Harry Tector was the first to prevail on the men’s side.
Kelly's relentless wicket-taking prowess played a pivotal role in Ireland's impressive 3-0 series victory over the Dutch. Her exceptional bowling skills shone brightly in the very first match, where she delivered a career-best performance, ultimately earning her the Player of the Match title.
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Kelly will take home the prizes following votes cast by global fans registered at icc-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and media representatives.
With an impressive tally of ten wickets across three T20I matches, and an astounding average of 4.30, Kelly proved to be a constant thorn in the side of a resilient Dutch lineup. Her standout performance came in the series opener, where she exhibited extraordinary precision, securing career-best figures of 5-12 and catapulting her team to a resounding ten-wicket victory.
In subsequent matches, Kelly took three wickets for just 11 runs in the second encounter, and following it up with a commendable two-wicket haul for 20 runs in the final bout.
In her reflection on this remarkable accolade, Kelly humbly stated, “I'm honored to win the award for the month of August and grateful for the opportunities that cricket has provided. The series win in the Netherlands was memorable, and being able to contribute with the ball made it that little bit more special.”
The Ireland seamer overcomes Malaysia’s all-rounder Ainna Hamizah Hashim and Netherlands’ opening batter Iris Zwilling to claim the Women’s Player of the Month prize.
Fans can continue to vote every month for their favourite cricketers across all formats of international cricket as part of the ICC Player of the Month initiative by registering at www.icc-cricket.com/awards.
