WTC Final Stars and Nissanka Nominated for ICC Player of the Month – June 2025

The ICC announced the nominees for the ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2025, with three of the game's longest-format stars. Two South African stars from their record-breaking ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 victory and one reliable Sri Lankan opener lead the shortlist.

Aiden Markram (South Africa)

South African opener Aiden Markram was the fulcrum of his team's WTC Final triumph at Lord's, delivering when it mattered. First, he did so with the ball, bowling out Steve Smith with his sixth ball after the Australian had settled in during a handy partnership with Beau Webster.

Markram made a forgettable batting debut in the first innings, bowled without a run by Mitchell Starc. But Markram left his stamp of class in the second innings. South Africa was chasing a tall 282 at that time, and Markram took the stage after the early fall of Ryan Rickelton. He formed crucial partnerships with Wiaan Mulder and captain Temba Bavuma, who was nursing an injury. Markram even comforted Bavuma in the dressing room, exhibiting calm leadership under pressure.

He continued to score a regal 136, leading South Africa to their five-wicket victory and first ICC senior men's title in 27 years. Markram also removed the last wicket of Australia's second innings, having Josh Hazlewood out to seal the deal with both bat and ball.

Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

Rabada spearheaded South Africa's pace group with customary aggression and accuracy in the WTC Final. In a swing-friendly Day 1 at Lord's, he got the ball rolling by dismissing Usman Khawaja and then went on to take his 17th five-wicket haul in Tests. His 33.4 overs through the air for the match returned nine wickets for only 110 runs.

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He became almost unplayable at times, sending away important batsmen such as Cameron Green, Alex Carey, and Nathan Lyon in the second innings. Rabada's work ensured that Australia never got away with the game. He finished the Test fourth on South Africa's list of all-time Test wicket-takers with 336 wickets, having gone past Allan Donald.

Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka’s dependable opener Pathum Nissanka had a phenomenal start to the new WTC cycle, notching back-to-back centuries in the home Test series against Bangladesh. After Bangladesh posted 495 in Galle, Nissanka responded with a career-best 187, which included 24 boundaries and a six. His effort helped Sri Lanka come within 10 runs of the total.

Following a difficult 32-over phase towards the end of the game, Nissanka's grit secured 24 in a tense second innings, securing a draw. In the second Test, he complemented it with another brilliant knock of 158, studded with 19 fours. His brilliant batting helped Sri Lanka post a 211-run lead, setting the stage for a crucial innings-and-78-run win and a 1-0 series win.

In June, all the nominees performed game-altering pieces of work, either through series-defining consistency or under extremely tight final situations. The ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2025 is now open to vote for by fans.