Warwickshire skipper Jeetan Patel has followed up an excellent May by being named by the PCA as one of its four nominations for Player of the Month in June.
Patel joins Leicestershire’s Hassan Azad, Somerset’s Lewis Gregory and Glamorgan’s Marnus Labuschagne on the nominations list with no other player in the county game having earned more PCA Most Valuable Player Ranking points, which included four rounds of County Championship fixtures.
After claiming 21 scalps in May, Patel has backed that up with another 19 this month in just three fixtures.
The 39-year-old took 10 in the match against Nottinghamshire as the Outlaws just about saved the game at Edgbaston. He had quieter games against Yorkshire and Surrey to finish the month, but still managed to claim at least one wicket in every innings he bowled in.
Patel has now claimed the MVP award from three of the seven Championship fixtures the Bears have participated in this season.
Although the next block of Championship fixtures will begin on Sunday 30 June, with three days of those games taking place in July, points accrued in those games will count towards the following month.
The MVP formula was designed by the PCA in conjunction with the players to reward match-winning performances. Bonus points are awarded, for example, for hitting a high proportion of your team’s runs, taking top order wickets or captaining the winning side.
The formula therefore provides a more accurate representation of the top performers than traditional batting and bowling averages.
The Overall 2019 MVP will receive a £10,000 cash prize at the 50th NatWest PCA Awards in October, following in the footsteps of 2018 victor Joe Denly.
