Pick your August PCA Player of the Month

Tom Abell, Adam Lyth, Tom Banton and Wayne Madsen are the four nominees for the August PCA Player of the Month award.

The eighth month of 2019 has been dominated by the Vitality Blast, with 86 fixtures taking place either side of a block of nine County Championship games.

The top four performers from those games have been identified by the PCA MVP Rankings, with the final winner due to be chosen via a public vote.

The MVP algorithm was purpose-built by the PCA in conjunction with the players to identify the match-winning performers in any given game. Bonus points are awarded for scoring a high proportion of your team’s runs, claiming top order wickets and taking catches in the field, amongst other important disciplines.

The Rankings therefore give a more accurate reflection of the domestic game’s top performers than traditional batting or bowling averages do.

This year’s Overall MVP will follow in the footsteps of 2018 winner Joe Denly in collecting a £10,000 cash prize at the NatWest PCA Awards on Wednesday 2 October.

Previous Player of the Month awards this season have been won by Liam Dawson in April, Simon Harmer in May, Hassan Azad in June and Ravi Ashwin last time out in July.

To help you choose the fifth different recipient of the year, here is a brief summary of each of the contenders’ highlights this month.

No player has accumulated more MVP points this month than Tom Abell’s 133.71. Despite his side just missing out on a Blast quarter-final spot, the young batsman has enjoyed a stellar month from an individual perspective.

Having made scores of 41, 45, 57 and 63 in the space of six days at the start of the month, the crowning glory came with a sparkling 101 not out against Middlesex on Friday 30th. Abell’s maiden T20 century came from just 47 balls, and he duly picked up 34.67 MVP points for the match. As a result, the 25-year-old earns his first Player of the Month nomination of the season.

Adam Lyth is normally known for his powerful striking at the top of the innings, but his all-round contributions in August have seen him nominated for the PCA Player of the Month.

Along with his 332 runs at 41.5 across both formats, Lyth has turned it on with the ball in recent weeks. Nine of his 16 career T20 wickets recently came in the space of six days, with figures of 5-31 crowning a memorable performance against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. The England international has accumulated the second most MVP points in August with 125.91.

Young opening batsman Banton has been a revelation for Somerset this season. His scintillating form throughout a breakout Vitality Blast campaign earns him a deserved maiden Player of the Month nomination.

Already a key part of Somerset’s Royal London One-Day Cup triumph and excellent Specsavers County Championship form, the 20-year-old has excelled in the Blast in August, accumulating 343 runs at 42.9. A clear highlight was his maiden T20 ton against Kent Spitfires at Taunton – Banton claimed a deserved MVP of the Match that evening with 35.85 points.

Derbyshire’s veteran batsman Madsen has been a model of consistency in both formats this month. He has reached double figures in nine of his ten innings over the past four weeks, passing 50 on five occasions.

As a result, he has accumulated 119.23 MVP points at an average of 13.25 per game. He has claimed two MVP of the Match awards, the first for his 51 not out against Northants and the second for his 69 against Lancashire three days later. His efforts helped Derbyshire Falcons to win their last three Vitality Blast group stage games in a row and consequently qualify for the quarter-finals.