West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie wins ICC Men's Player of the Month award for May 2024
West Indies left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie was named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for May 2024, beating competition from Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi and Ireland's Lorcan Tucker. Motie became the second West Indian to bag the monthly honor this year after pace sensation Shamar Joseph won the award for January.
The 29-year-old starred in West Indies' 3-0 T20I series win against South Africa, picking up eight wickets at an incredible average of 8.50 and an economy of just over six. Motie picked up at least two wickets while conceding under 30 in all three outings.
A delighted Motie said to the ICC on being named the Player of the Month:
"It means a lot to me and I am very happy to win this award. It’s very encouraging, I have put in a lot of work during this season and I am happy that I am seeing the rewards now. The standout performance for me during the series against South Africa was the first game, where I took three for 25. The third wicket that night was my favorite."
Motie has become a mainstay in the West Indian lineup in all three formats, with an impressive 62 wickets in 29 matches.
"I see us going all the way and lifting that cup on 29 June" - Gudakesh Motie
Gudakesh Motie was excited to be playing in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup at home and believed the West Indies would play in the grand finale on June 29.
The left-arm spinner has been in sensational form thus far in the tournament, bagging five wickets at an average of 11 and an economy of 6.11 in three outings.
"Playing in a World Cup means a lot to me, and playing at home in front of our fans and knowing the conditions is also special. We have started strongly, playing three games and getting three wins, and I see us going all the way and lifting that cup on 29 June," said Motie.
West Indies' most recent win against New Zealand made it three out of three to kickstart their T20 World Cup campaign, thereby helping them qualify for the Super Eight. Motie was the star with the ball with figures of 3/25 in four overs to help the West Indies successfully defend 149 against the Black Caps by 13 runs.
The Guyana-born spinner will be back in action when the Caribbean side takes on Afghanistan in their final Group stage clash on Monday, June 17.