ICC Player of the Month Race Begins with Shubman Gill, Mosaddek Hossain and Nathan Smith in Contention

Indian captain Shubman Gill has been nominated for the ‘ICC Men’s Player of the Month’ award for June, alongside Bangladeshi all-rounder Mosaddek Hossain and New Zealand fast bowler Nathan Smith.

Shubman Gill was in scintillating form during India’s home series against Afghanistan, leading the team across both Test and ODI formats. The right-handed batter kicked off the month by scoring a magnificent 126—his 11th Test century—during India’s innings victory in the one-off Test played in New Chandigarh.

Gill carried his excellent form into the ODI series, amassing 238 runs in just two innings. After scoring an unbeaten 84 in the first ODI in Dharamsala, he smashed 154 runs in Lucknow. Despite battling severe cramps during the innings, Gill scored rapidly to ensure India’s victory. He was named ‘Player of the Series’ for his outstanding performance as India swept the series 3-0.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Mosaddek Hossain made a spectacular return to international cricket after a four-year hiatus. The all-rounder was named ‘Player of the Series’ during Bangladesh’s historic 2-1 ODI series victory over Australia. Hossain scored an unbeaten 86 and claimed two wickets in the opening match, finishing as his team’s highest run-scorer in the series with 157 runs.

Smith, on the other hand, was recognized for leading New Zealand’s pace attack to a memorable 2-1 Test series victory in England. He claimed the highest number of wickets in the series—16 in total—including a haul of 6 for 70 at Lord’s. He was named ‘Player of the Series’.