New Delhi [India], October 6 (ANI): India’s Shafali Verma and Sree Charani, together with Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for September 2026. It was following their standout performances throughout the Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games held back-to-back, based on the ICC web site.
Shafali loved a prolific September as India received the Women’s Asia Cup earlier than occurring to safe gold on the Asian Games.
The explosive opener amassed 360 runs in seven T20Is at a median of 72.00 and a strike fee of 184.61. She additionally made precious contributions with the ball, taking six wickets at a median of 13.00 and an economic system fee of 4.33.
Verma completed the Women’s Asia Cup because the event’s main run-scorer, accumulating 236 runs in 5 innings. Her marketing campaign included scores of 64 within the semi-final in opposition to Bangladesh and 68 within the closing in opposition to Sri Lanka, serving to India declare a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title.
She carried her type into the Asian Games in Japan, scoring 188 runs throughout three innings. After remaining unbeaten on 40 in opposition to Japan, Verma struck her maiden T20I century within the semi-final in opposition to Bangladesh, smashing 100 off simply 49 balls. She adopted it with 48 within the gold-medal match in opposition to Sri Lanka as India secured a 147-run victory.
Verma additionally contributed with the ball all through the month, taking two wickets within the Asia Cup and 4 on the Asian Games. Two of her Asian Games wickets got here within the essential gold-medal conflict.
Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu delivered robust all-round performances in September as her workforce reached the finals of the Women’s Asia Cup and the Asian Games.
Across seven T20Is, Athapaththu scored 226 runs at a median of 37.66 and a strike fee of 140.37. She was equally efficient with the ball, claiming 14 wickets at a median of 10.21 and an economic system fee of 6.08.
Her most notable bowling efficiency got here early within the Women’s Asia Cup in opposition to Indonesia, the place she returned with extraordinary figures of seven/5 and in addition accomplished a hat-trick. The spell was the fifth-best bowling efficiency in Women’s T20Is on the time and marked solely the sixth event the place a bowler had taken seven or extra wickets in a Women’s T20I.
Athapaththu had a formidable run on the Asian Games, scoring 175 runs in three innings. She started with a 63 in opposition to Malaysia earlier than producing an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls in opposition to Pakistan within the semi-final, serving to Sri Lanka safe a spot within the gold-medal match.
She ended the competitors as Sri Lanka’s main run-scorer and in addition contributed three wickets because the workforce went on to win the silver medal.
Sree Charani performed a key position with the ball as India received the Women’s Asia Cup and efficiently retained their Asian Games gold medal in girls’s cricket.
The left-arm spinner claimed 18 wickets in seven T20Is throughout September, averaging 4.83 with an economic system fee of three.30.
Charani took 12 wickets throughout India’s triumphant Women’s Asia Cup marketing campaign, together with spectacular figures of 4/20 within the closing in opposition to Sri Lanka.
She continued her wonderful type on the Asian Games, returning 4/10 in opposition to Japan earlier than taking 2/7 in opposition to Bangladesh and a pair of/13 in opposition to Sri Lanka within the gold-medal match. Her eight wickets on the event took her tally for September to 18.
Charani’s excellent month was additional highlighted by a historic rise within the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings. At the tip of September, she reached 817 ranking factors to grow to be the highest-rated girls’s T20I bowler in historical past, surpassing Australia’s Megan Schutt, whose earlier document was 806 factors.
With her performances serving to India safe each the Asia Cup and Asian Games titles, Charani emerged as one of many main wicket-takers throughout the 2 competitions throughout a exceptional September. (ANI)