The Player of the Series from the Ashes, Chris Woakes, is now the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July 2023 after beating off stiff competition from compatriot Zak Crawley and Netherlands’ up-and-coming star Bas de Leede.
The English star capped off a memorable Ashes performance with the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award for July 2023.
“It’s very nice to have been voted ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July. Everything we did in the Ashes was a team effort, and no individual awards would be possible without everyone else doing their job but it’s always nice to be recognized, especially when it’s a public vote,” said Woakes about the honor.
It was a great series, and I’m just very happy that it captured the imagination and attention of the public so much. It was great to have so much support and it was a hugely enjoyable series to play in.
Chris Woakes was not a part of the XI for the first two matches and England trailed 2-0 heading into the third Test in Headingley. To stay alive in the series, England needed the incoming players to make an instant impact and Woakes did just that.
In his return to Test cricket after more than a year, Woakes picked up three wickets in each innings, including the big scalps of Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja. More importantly, he chipped in with a crucial 32* in a thrilling chase where he fittingly hit the winning runs to keep England alive in the series.
Woakes followed up on the heroics with his fifth five-wicket haul in Tests during the first innings of the fourth Test. Unfortunately, rain had the final say in the match with the last day being washed out and the Manchester Test ending in a stalemate.
Woakes finished the series on a high, bagging both the Player of the Match in the final Test at The Oval. Before wreaking havoc with the ball again, the 34-year-old scored a vital run-a-ball 36 in the first innings.
He went on to pick up seven wickets with the ball as England managed to level the series in dramatic fashion.
Despite playing only three matches, Woakes took home the Player of the Series award with 19 wickets at an average of 18.15 to go with an important 79 runs.
