ICC Player of the Month October 2026: Pakistan's Arafat Minhas nominated with Marco Jansen and Shai Hope

Pakistan all-rounder Arafat Minhas has been nominated for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for October 2026, alongside South Africa's Marco Jansen and West Indies captain Shai Hope, the ICC announced on Thursday 5 November, as Geo Super reported.

Why Minhas is on the list

Minhas was Player of the Series as Pakistan won the home ODI tri-series last month. His numbers across five matches:

• 9 wickets, including 6 for 40 against England, the second-best ODI figures by a Pakistan bowler at home.
• 149 runs at an average of 29.80, with 59 in the same England game.
• 61 off 31 balls in the final against Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium on 31 October, as Pakistan chased 326 to lift the trophy.

He made his ODI debut against Australia earlier this year.

The other two nominees

Marco Jansen (South Africa): the all-rounder drove South Africa's 2-1 World Test Championship series win over Australia. In the second Test at Gqeberha he made 85 and took six wickets in an innings-and-31-run win, then added a half-century and three wickets in the decider. He is now top of the ICC Test all-rounder rankings.

Shai Hope (West Indies): Hope made an unbeaten 162 in the third ODI against India in New Chandigarh as West Indies chased 352, their highest successful ODI chase. He then scored two centuries in the five-match T20I series, including 102 not out off 50 balls, and finished it with 261 runs at a strike rate of 190.51.

Women's nominees

India's Deepti Sharma, Australia's Annabel Sutherland and Bangladesh's Sobhana Mostary are the nominees for the women's award for October, ANI reported.

How the winner is chosen and how to vote

The winners are picked by a combination of an independent ICC voting panel of former players, broadcasters and journalists and a public vote. Fans can vote on the ICC Player of the Month page by registering on the ICC website; the winners are usually announced in the second week of the following month.

Next for Minhas and Pakistan

Pakistan's next assignment is the home Test series against Sri Lanka, starting in Rawalpindi on Monday 9 November at 9:30am PKT. Sri Lanka's three-day tour match against the PCB Patron's XI in Islamabad ends today. How to watch on PTV Sports and the streaming apps: our PTV Sports live guide.