Sanju Samson ignored as Jay Shah's ICC nominates Pakistani Sahibzada Farhan for prestigious ICC award
Published - 16 Mar 2026, 01:53 PM | Updated - 16 Mar 2026, 03:04 PM
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In a surprising move, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has ignored Sanju Samson from the list of the Month nominees for February 2026. Three players - Sahibzada Farhan, Will Jacks, and Shadley van Schalkwyk - have been named for the prestigious ICC award.
Among the nominees, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan is at the top of the list for his brilliant batting in the T20 World Cup 2026 tournament. He was the standout batter for the Pakistan cricket team in the title race, scoring 383 runs at a strike rate of 160.25, averaging 76.60. With the staggering batting stats, Farhan became the highest run-getter at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Sahibzada Farhan surpasses Virat Kohli's T20 World Cup record as well
During the course, the top order batter shattered Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s record. In the 2014 T20 World Cup, Kohli scored 319 runs, and Sahibzada Farhan registered 383 runs on an individual basis. Farhan’s name in the list of nominees makes sense, but why did ICC not consider Sanju Samson for the award? Cricket fans raised the question.
Who are the other two nominees besides Sahibzada Farhan for the ICC Men's Cricket Award?
Along with Sahibzada Farhan, the other two nominees are England's middle-order batter Will Jacks, and the United States pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk.
Jack was one of the main performers for the England cricket team in the tournament. The spin bowling all-rounder was effective both with his batting and bowling. He notched 194 crucial runs for England at a strike rate of 173.21 and snapped up 11 wickets at an economy rate of just over eight. In the semifinals against India, he remained a key figure for the team.
During the run chase, Jacks scored 35 off 20 to support Jacob Bethell who scored a brilliant century against India. India registered a massive total of 253 runs in 20 overs, and England got 246. In the Super 8 phase too, Will Jacks delivered two crucial performances against co-hosts Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
The United States cricket team was one of the underrated sides in the tournament. Shadley van Schalkwyk was one of the prime performers for the team, as he claimed wickets up front regularly.
The right-arm pace bowler bagged 13 wickets to finish among the top-wicket takers at the recently concluded tournament. He was equally impressive against Team India, taking 4 wickets in their opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.
ICC released the same for women's cricket as well
The International Cricket Council has published the Women’s Player of the Month nominees for February 2026 as well.
Sri Lanka’s dependable top-order batter Harshitha Samarawickrama, Pakistan's women's team captain Fatima Sana, and Arundhati Reddy, pace spearhead of Team India, are the three nominees for the award.
Reddy finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Australia vs India T20 series, claiming eight wickets at an average of 10.87, while maintaining an economy rate of 7.25
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Sahibzada Farhan Pakistan National Cricket Team India National Cricket Team ICC Sanju Samson ICC T20 World Cup Jay Shah Will JacksAbout the Author
This author is a member of Cricketaddictor who writes news and analysis related to cricket.
