Shortlist announced for PCA Player of the Month for July England internationals Joe Denly, Alex Hales and David Willey and Derbyshire batsman Wayne Madsen have been shortlisted for the Professional Cricketers’ Association Player of the Month Award for July. The quartet earned most points in the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings during the month and will now go into a fans’ poll to decide the fourth winner of the new monthly awards. Fans can vote via the PCA and Sky Sports websites and have until midday on Wednesday to cast their votes. The winner will follow Gloucestershire’s Liam Norwell (April), Surrey’s Kumar Sangakkara (May) and Essex’s Simon Harmer (June) as the latest PCA Player of the Month. The PCA MVP Rankings system, which was introduced in 2007, identifies the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic season. The formula gives full credit to those players whose performances improve their team’s chances of winning. Points are accrued for all runs scored and wickets taken, these are then adjusted within the context of the match to take into account strike rates and economy rates. The formula also takes into account conditions, quality of opposition, captaincy and strike-rates as well as runs scored and wickets taken with the player who tops the overall PCA MVP Rankings at the end of the season receiving a £ 10,000 prize and a trophy. Madsen topped July’s points table in the PCA MVP Rankings with 158 in a month that included one round of Specsavers County Championship matches and a busy schedule of NatWest T20 Blast fixtures. Madsen has scored consistently throughout the Blast with five scores over 40 in eight innings in the competition including a top score of 86 in the defeat by Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Derbyshire have also used Madsen’s off-spin, little used in championship cricket, to open the bowling, a tactic that has paid dividends. Madsen has taken eight wickets so far with an economy rate of between five and six in half of the eight matches. Kent batsman Denly ended July with 145 PCA MVP points, 40 of them from a productive championship match against Northamptonshire at Beckenham at the start of the month. Denly made 182 in the first innings and 78 in the second of a high-scoring draw and followed up with 116 not out from 63 balls – his highest T20 score – to take Kent to victory over Surrey at the Kia Oval two weeks later. Denly actually ended June with a game for the PCA England Masters and has topped 40 in his last two T20 innings, including 68 from 50 balls in yesterday’s defeat by Glamorgan at Canterbury. Meanwhile for Nottinghamshire’s Hales it was an unforgettable July, the opener started the month by helping his side lift the Royal London One-Day Cup with an unbeaten 187 at Lord’s, his highest List A score to defeat Surrey in the final by four wickets. The 28-year-old then ended July with 101 – his first T20 century for Nottinghamshire – from just 47 balls in Sunday’s T20 victory over Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. Hales topped 40 in three more of his seven Blast and ended July with 139 PCA MVP Rankings points. Yorkshire all-rounder Willey’s July aggregate of 135 PCA MVP points all came in T20 cricket which included a career-best 118 from 55 balls in the victory over Worcestershire at Headingley. Willey’s century, the best single innings performance by a Yorkshire player in T20 cricket, earned him 40 PCA MVP points and helped to take him to second in the Blast’s PCA MVP. He made 70 against Warwickshire at Headingley and twice topped 40 in a productive month which also saw him take 7 wickets and earn 29 bowling points. The full PCA MVP Rankings can be viewed here. Vote for your Player of the Month below. {{POTMJULY}}
