ICC Player of the Month: Arafat Minhas nominated with Jansen and Shai Hope
Pakistan's Arafat Minhas is on the ICC's three-man shortlist for October after his tri-series heroics. His numbers, his rivals, and how fans can vote.
Pakistan all-rounder Arafat Minhas has been shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for October 2026. The ICC named him alongside South Africa’s Marco Jansen and West Indies captain Shai Hope on Thursday, 5 November. “ICC player of the month” was one of the top Google searches in Pakistan the next morning.
Why Arafat Minhas is on the list
Minhas was named Player of the Series as Pakistan won the home ODI tri-series in October. Across five matches he made 149 runs at an average of 29.80 and took nine wickets at 23.22.
Two games stood out. Against England he scored 59 and then took 6 for 40, the second-best ODI bowling figures by a Pakistan bowler at home, in the 87-run win we covered at the time. In the final against Sri Lanka he smashed 61 off 31 balls as Pakistan chased down 326.
His two rivals
Marco Jansen (South Africa): The left-arm all-rounder starred as South Africa beat Australia 2-1 in their World Test Championship series. In the second Test at Gqeberha he scored 85 and took six wickets in an innings-and-31-run win, then added a fifty and three wickets in Cape Town. He has risen to No. 1 in the ICC Test all-rounder rankings.
Shai Hope (West Indies): The captain hit an unbeaten 162 in the third ODI against India at New Chandigarh, as West Indies chased 352, their highest successful ODI chase. In the five-match T20I series against India he made two centuries, including 102 not out off 50 balls, and finished with 261 runs at a strike rate of 190.51.
The women’s shortlist
The women’s nominees for October are India’s Deepti Sharma, Bangladesh’s Sobhana Mostary and Australia’s Annabel Sutherland.
How the winner is chosen
The award is decided by a vote of a panel of former players, broadcasters and journalists, together with fans, who can vote on the ICC website. The ICC says the winners will be announced once voting closes.
Minhas is the only Pakistani on either shortlist this month. Jansen’s Test numbers and Hope’s run-scoring make it a close call.
