Harshitha Madavi Awarded ICC Women's Player of the Month for August

The Sri Lankan cricketer won this esteemed award by outperforming Irish competitors

Madavi is the third Sri Lankan Woman to win this award /

By Ian Omoro

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Sri Lankan cricketer Harshitha Madavi the Women's Player of the Month for August 2024 after outperforming Irish players Orla Prendergast and Gaby Lewis.

The gifted left-handed top-order batsman has been getting better and better lately, and she displayed even more impressive form against Ireland in August.

After Chamari Athapaththu's victories in May and July, Madavi's win makes her the third Sri Lankan woman to win this award in 2024. A double victory for Sri Lanka is achieved when this accomplishment is paired with Dunith Wellalage's August 2024 success as the ICC Men's Player of the Month.

Throughout the ODI and T20I phases of the tour, Madavi dominated Ireland and amassed some incredible runs.

Following an undefeated 69* against India in the Women's Asia Cup final at the end of July, Madavi upped her game when she got to Dublin. She finished the two-match series as both sides' top run scorer with 86*, a career-best effort, and 65 from the two Twenty20 International matches.

In the extended white ball format, Madavi maintained her prolific streak. She scored runs of 19, 105, and 48* in the three-match ODI series against the Irish, securing her position as the top run scorer once more. Her century in the second ODI game made her just the third Sri Lanka woman’s player after Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne to score an ODI ton.

Madavi conveyed her happiness and appreciation after being named the ICC Women's Player of the Month.

The ICC quoted Madavi, saying, “I am extremely happy with this recognition, which I consider a new high in my career. It certainly gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the big competition, the Women’s T20 World Cup.”

“This achievement would not have been possible without the incredible support network around me—my teammates, coaches, parents, sister, brother, friends, and mentors. I take this opportunity to thank them all. I also wish to commend the players who were nominated alongside me for the Player of the Month award. They are immensely talented, and I loved competing with such quality,” she added.