ICC names Men’s Player of the Month nominees for August 2026; check details

The ICC has shortlisted three Test specialists for the Men’s Player of the Month award for August 2026. Sri Lanka batter Sonal Dinusha, England seamer Ollie Robinson and Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud made the cut after a month defined by big scores, cheap wickets and one historic result in Australia.

All three nominations come from the longest format. Fans registered with the ICC and the independent Voting Academy will now decide the winner, with voting on the official awards page scheduled to close on 14 September 2026.

Sonal Dinusha’s 420-run month against India

Sonal Dinusha was Sri Lanka’s most reliable batter in a two-match World Test Championship series against India. He opened the first Test in Galle with a century, then added a fighting 84 in the second innings even as the hosts went down. In Colombo, he went bigger still: 103 in the first innings and an unbeaten 133 in the second, the innings that helped Sri Lanka hold on for a draw.

Those four knocks added up to 420 runs at 140.00. No batter on either side scored more. The left-hander’s consistency at the top of the order gave Sri Lanka a platform in both Tests and kept the series competitive until the final session in Colombo.

Ollie Robinson’s 16 wickets at 7.18 against Pakistan

Ollie Robinson drove England’s 2-0 start to their home series against Pakistan. He took 8 for 80 in the first Test, then produced an even sharper 8 for 35 in the second as England wrapped up both matches. Sixteen wickets at 7.18 across two Tests is the kind of month that usually wins this award on its own.

The new-ball burst mattered as much as the totals. Robinson set the tone in both games and gave England control before Pakistan could settle. Career-best figures in successive Tests put him firmly in the conversation with Dinusha’s run-glut.

Hasan Mahmud the architect of Bangladesh’s Darwin win

Hasan Mahmud’s case is built on one landmark result. In Darwin, he took 6 for 55 in the first innings and 3 for 56 in the second as Bangladesh claimed a first-ever Test win on Australian soil. Across the two-match series he finished with nine wickets at 19.77.

That Darwin spell is the performance that will travel. Bangladesh have waited years for a Test win in Australia, and Mahmud led the attack when it arrived. Volume sits below Robinson’s, but the context of a breakthrough overseas victory is why he is on the shortlist.