South Africa’s Markram and Rabada, Sri Lanka’s Nissanka Vie for ICC Player of the Month Honors

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced its nominees for the Men’s Player of the Month award for June 2025, with South Africa’s Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada alongside Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka making the shortlist. The trio delivered standout performances in Test cricket, each playing important roles in their teams’ successes last month.

The Nominees:

Aiden Markram (South Africa)
Markram was instrumental in South Africa’s historic ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final victory over Australia at Lord’s. After a duck in the first innings, he turned the game with his part time off spin, dismissing Steve Smith and Josh Hazlewood. But it was his batting that sealed the deal, a majestic 136 in the chase of 282, guiding South Africa to their first ICC men’s trophy in 27 years.

"After South Africa had conceded a lead of 74, they fought back with the ball... Markram stood tall, first with the ball, removing Hazlewood, and then with the willow," recounted the ICC report. 

His partnership with Temba Bavuma was crucial, with Markram assuring his skipper in the dressing room before their stand steered the Proteas to victory.

Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
Rabada’s fast bowling destroyed Australia in the WTC Final. He took nine wickets in the match, including five in the first innings. This put him ahead of South African great Allan Donald in total Test wickets (336). His early breakthroughs, like getting Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green out quickly, kept South Africa in the game, even after their poor first innings.

"Rabada’s 33.4 overs yielded merely 110 runs, while the pacer ran through the Australian batting more than once," noted the ICC. His ability to strike on a challenging Lord’s pitch underscored his status as one of the world’s premier fast bowlers.

Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka)
Nissanka shone in Sri Lanka’s Test series against Bangladesh, scoring back to back centuries. His career-best 187 in Galle, laden with 24 boundaries, helped Sri Lanka recover from conceding 495 runs. He followed it up with 158 in the second Test, anchoring Sri Lanka’s innings victory.

"Nissanka’s twin centuries showcased his ability to dominate quality bowling attacks and anchor the innings under pressure," highlighted the ICC. His performances marked a strong start to Sri Lanka’s new WTC cycle.

How the Winner is Chosen

The ICC’s selection process blends expert opinion (90% weight) and fan votes (10%). A Voting Academy comprising former players, journalists, and broadcasters—like Lisa Sthalekar (Australia) and Sana Mir (Pakistan), decides the winner, with fan input via online voting. The result will be announced mid July.

Fans can vote for their pick on the ICC website, with the winner set to be revealed soon.