It’s that time again for you to cast your minds and vote for the player who impressed you the most in June. With plenty of Vitality Blast action being played during the month, we’ve got four very deserving candidates.
The nominees are:
Matt Breetzke
The South African International has been a staple at the top of the Steelbacks order, consistently playing with fluency and elegance. During the month, Breetzke scored 239 of his 363 runs in the campaign as well as two of his three Steelbacks half centuries, including a fantastic 94 against Derbyshire Falcons. Breetzke has been a shrewd signing which has helped the Steelbacks look towards quarter-final qualification.
Sikandar Raza
The Zimbabwe captain brought experience and class to the Steelbacks during his stint with the club scoring 168 runs, consistently entertaining the Wantage Road crowd with his big hitting. The standout from Raza has to be his 42 off 31 and his amazing diving catch on Sky against Worcestershire along with a crucial partnership with Breetzke to complete the double over the Rapids.
Ravi Bopara
Ravi Bopara has quickly become a fan favourite at Wantage Road and his performances have showed no signs of slowing down at 39 years of age. In June, Bopara took the joint most wickets in the Steelbacks side, including a very impressive 4/34 against the Vikings as well as some crucial displays with the bat. A pivotal member in the Northamptonshire middle order, Bopara has enjoyed an excellent first campaign in the North Group of the Blast, with hopes of much more to come.
Raphy Weatherall
19-year-old Raphy Weatherall has enjoyed an action-packed first season in professional cricket and displayed incredible levels of maturity in games. In just his second ever T20 game for the club, Weatherall bowled the final over of the game against the Rapids and only conceded four runs to secure an important win. Weatherall also took four wickets in our draw against the Foxes, adding to his total of nine in T20.