Dominant Cox and Litchfield claim August award

Jordan Cox and Phoebe Litchfield have been voted as August’s PCA Players of the Month after their excellent batting displays in The Hundred.

The pair have now taken home all possible PCA accolades from last month, including The Hundred MVP and being named captains in their respective Teams of the Month.

Both players were shortlisted for the awards through the PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings, powered by OFX. The unique algorithm selected the top four men’s and women’s players before they faced a public vote, with the winners decided by a 50:50 split between the two.

A combination of the most MVP points last month with 159.89 and securing 32.57 per cent of the public vote saw Cox finish ahead of his Essex captain Tom Westley, Hampshire captain Nick Gubbins and Birmingham Phoenix all-rounder Liam Livingstone.

In the women’s game, Litchfield picked up the most MVP points with 124.23. Adding to that, the 22-year-old earned 42.17 per cent of the total public vote to finish first. England and Trent Rockets batter Nat Sciver-Brunt came home second while Annabel Sutherland and Sophia Dunkley finished third and fourth respectively.

Cox played a crucial role in securing a hat-trick of titles for Oval Invincibles after they beat Trent Rockets in the final at Lord’s by 26 runs.

The 24-year-old was the leading run-scorer in the 100-ball tournament, scoring 367 at an average of 61.16 and strike-rate of 173.93.

Over the course of the competition, the Essex star picked up two Match MVPs. The first one came against Welsh Fire where he secured 43.71 points after scoring 86 not out off just 29 balls, an innings which saw him hit 10 sixes.

The right-hander second Match MVP was against Trent Rockets at the Kia Oval where he earned 30.46 points after a remarkable run-chase. He scored 58 runs from 32 balls to see his side home.

Cox’s excellence in The Hundred saw him make a comeback into the England IT20 squad which will be travelling to Ireland to play in a three-match series later this month.

Following his triumphant August, Jordan Cox said: “The Hundred was good fun because it is a competition I absolutely love. The word three-peat was going around for a while and was obviously on the back of everyone’s mind. But we knew if we played to our potential, we would have a good chance of achieving it. Luckily, we played very well for eight games and fumbled just one towards winning the title.

“My favourite innings was either my 86 not out against Welsh Fire or the game against Trent Rockets because we came from nowhere to win with Sam (Curran) starting off the hitting against Sam Cook which got us going and then I was lucky enough to finish it off. It is always nice to have a successful run chase. But the 86 was also definitely something special and I still really don’t believe that actually happened!

“It is obviously nice to be voted for the PCA Player of the Month since a lot of people can vote for it and even players which makes me very grateful. I was lucky enough to get one last year so hopefully I can keep getting one a year which is my goal.

“Winning The Hundred MVP was also very special. The Hundred is one of my favourite competitions if not the favourite and to get an MVP there was amazing. But it is more about what I can contribute towards the team and what the team needs from me. Fortunately, we got what we needed from the team aspect, so the personal milestone was just an added bonus.”

Litchfield and Northern Superchargers secured their maiden title in The Hundred after beating a strong Southern Brave side by seven wickets.

The Australian batter was instrumental in her side’s victory, ending the competition with 292 runs at an average of 41.71. Like Cox in the men’s competition, the batter also finished as the leading scorer in the women’s game.

Across August, Litchfield earned two Match MVPs. Her first came at Headingley against Birmingham Phoenix where she scored 59 not out which saw her yield 30.29 points. It was her highest score in the competition which helped her side secure an eight-wicket victory.

Her second Match MVP was against London Spirit where she once again batted through to the end to score 55 not out and take home 27.36 points to guide Northern Superchargers to yet another win.

Upon winning the Player of the Month accolade in August, Phoebe Litchfield said: “It is pretty cool to receive this honour. Initially it came in as a surprise but reflecting on it now it feels like an awesome recognition especially with the success we had as a squad.

“The Hundred was great! It is right up there with the best months of the year. I feel lucky to be part of the Northern Superchargers. All the girls have been so great and having spent the last three years with them, it feels extra special to have finally won the competition.

“I think I put the performance down to how much I have enjoyed the experience of playing in the competition. I find that whenever I am enjoying my cricket I train and perform better. Whilst there is a bit of luck involved, I feel like I take on the game as much as possible and live and die by that sword at times, but I love it, nonetheless.

“I cannot wait to come again. The off field and on field balance is what I find most enjoyable. Getting to know the England girls whilst playing some entertaining cricket is what the competition does so well. The players’ experience is right up there and also Headingley is a batters’ paradise, it could be pretty fun walking out in an Australia shirt in the World Cup there.”

Find out more about the PCA MVP Rankings and view the men’s and women’s tables.

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