South Africa's star all-rounder clinches ICC women’s player of the month

DUBAI: South Africa’s all-rounder Chloe Tryon was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for May 2025 on Saturday, following her standout performances in the ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and India.

Tryon outshone strong contenders West Indies' Hayley Matthews and India’s Jemimah Rodrigues to claim the award, marking a significant milestone in her career.

The 31-year-old showcased her leadership and all-round skills throughout the tri-series in Sri Lanka, contributing heavily with both bat and ball. 

Despite a narrow 23-run loss to India in South Africa’s penultimate match, Tryon was the top scorer with a fiery 67 off 43 balls, including four boundaries and five sixes. 

She also took a crucial wicket, dismissing Indian star Smriti Mandhana. Tryon’s crowning moment came in the final match against Sri Lanka, where she delivered a match-winning performance. 

Batting first, she powered the Proteas to a commanding total of 315 with a brilliant 74 runs off 51 balls, striking four fours and five sixes. 

She then turned her attention to bowling, producing a career-best spell of 5 wickets for 34 runs in eight overs. The highlight of her bowling was a stunning hat-trick, which helped dismantle the Sri Lankan batting lineup and secured a 76-run victory for South Africa.

Across the three ODIs in May, Tryon amassed 176 runs at an impressive average of 58.66, striking at 131.34. She also claimed six wickets at an economy rate of 5.00, underlining her value as a genuine all-rounder.

Speaking about receiving her first ICC women’s player of the month award, Tryon expressed her delight and gratitude.

“I probably did not expect this award, but I see it as a great achievement. I have been trying to find consistency for a while, so I am happy that it finally came together in Sri Lanka,” she said.

“Hopefully, I can build on those performances and help the team through the big year ahead. We have got a World Cup at the end of the year, so I am hoping to continue being consistent for the team,” she noted.

Reflecting on her five-wicket haul and hat-trick, Tryon added, “I am really happy with my five-wicket effort and the hat-trick. I was pretty tired most of the time, but I’m glad I finally got to tick that off my list."

"It’s still a bit of a blur, to be honest. The team carried me throughout that day. I was a little bit sick, so that did not help much. But everything came together, and I am just really happy that I could perform and help the team win,” she concluded.