Nathan Smith and Danni Wyatt-Hodge win ICC Player of the Month for June award

New Zealand seam bowler Nathan Smith was on Monday named the ICC Player of the Month for June following superb performances in a Test series in England while England opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge won the award for her outstanding efforts in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

The 28-year-old Smith played a key role in New Zealand’s 2-1 Test series win in England and won the award ahead of India captain Shubman Gill and Bangladesh all-rounder Mossadek Hossain.

Smith finished as the leading wicket-taker with a series haul of 16 wickets that came at an average of 23.00. His standout performance was a return of six for 70 in the second innings of the first Test at Lord’s in which he finished with nine wickets.

Smith grabs six wickets at Lord’s

His standout performance came in the opening Test, where Smith claimed three wickets in the first innings before producing a superb career-best haul of 6/70 in the second. He also registered his best-ever match figures, though the effort came in a losing cause.

Smith continued to strike at crucial moments throughout the series as New Zealand bounced back to win the final two Tests and seal a famous comeback series victory.

He picked up just one wicket in the second Test but chipped in with a valuable 38, helping New Zealand tighten their grip in the second innings.

“This is really special. It was a great tour of England for the boys, and this is pretty cool. I don’t usually play for individual awards, but it’s nice to receive this recognition and, more importantly, to have contributed to a series win,” said Smith.

In the series decider, Smith’s 4/91 in the first innings gave New Zealand a vital 82-run lead before he added two more wickets in the second innings to help the visitors seal a 2-1 series victory.

With several New Zealand quicks unavailable through injury, Smith emerged as the leader of a depleted attack and delivered.

“Personally, it was really satisfying to contribute to the win. That’s all I want to do for New Zealand – try as hard as I can and contribute in whatever way I can. Unfortunately, we had a few injuries during the series, so I had to step up and open the bowling. It’s something I’ve done in domestic cricket and a little bit for New Zealand before, but it was nice to shoulder the responsibility and bowl a few overs with the new ball,” he added.

Wyatt-Hodge scored 287 runs in June

Wyatt-Hodge, who edged out Scotland all-rounder Kathryn Bryce and India’s left-arm spinner Sree Charani for the award, was in superb touch early in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

In the month of June, Wyatt-Hodge scored 287 runs in six games – five of which came at the showcase T20 World Cup tournament – at an outstanding average of 71.75 and a strike rate of 151.85.

The 35-year-old finished the league stage as the leading run-scorer of the tournament boasting an unbeaten 105 off 62 deliveries against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener, which also helped England post the tournament’s joint-highest score of 219. She also scored an unbeaten 89 off 53 against defending champions New Zealand. She was named the Player of the Match in both matches.

“I’m delighted to win the ICC Player of the Month award, especially since it came for performances at a World Cup on home soil. The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was a fantastic occasion for the game, and having the opportunity to play in the final at Lord’s is a memory that my teammates and I will cherish forever,” said Wyatt-Hodge.

“While we fell short of lifting the trophy, we gave everything we had and were proud to be part of a tournament that captured the imagination of fans. I hope the memories it created will inspire many more young girls and boys to embrace the game in the years ahead. I’m grateful to the ICC for this recognition and look forward to contributing many more match-winning performances for England,” she said.

Wyatt-Hodge is now a two-time Player of the Month winner having previously won in November 2024.

Both players were crowned following a vote conducted among global fans registered at icc-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising former international players and media representatives.

Fans can continue to vote every month for their favourite cricketers across all formats of international cricket in the ICC Player of the Month awards by registering at www.icc-cricket.com/awards.