ICC Snubs India Players, Includes Pakistan Star For Major Award After T20 World Cup

ICC snubs Indian players in Player of the Month nominations [Source: AFP]

In the latest development, the ICC has revealed the nominees for the February Player of the Month, and surprisingly, no Indian star has been included in the list. The Men in Blue performed extraordinary well in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, but no player was picked as stars from Pakistan, England, and the USA were selected.

Pakistan’s premium opener and T20 World Cup 2026’s leading run-getter, Sahibzada Farhan, has been selected by the ICC, and the list also includes England’s all-rounder, Will Jacks, and the USA sensation, Shadley van Schalkwyk is also picked by the governing body.

Sahibzada Farhan

Sahibzada Farhan came into the T20 World Cup with a lot of hype, and the right-handed opener lived up to it as he surpassed Virat Kohli’s record and became the player with the most runs in a single T20 World Cup edition (383). He struck those runs at a strike-rate of 160.5, as he single-handedly carried Pakistan into the Super 8.

Kohli had scored 319 runs in the 2014 edition, and the Pakistan opener shattered his record as he smacked two centuries in the tournament, and kept his team alive in the competition.

He also became the first batter to score twin centuries in a single T20 World Cup editions, and his centuries came up against Namibia, and Sri Lanka.

Will Jacks

England reached the semis of the T20 World Cup, and a majority of the credit should be given to the all-rounder, Will Jacks. Time and again, he rescued the team in the group stage, and in the Super 8 as the Three Lions went undefeated in the Super 8 stage.

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He showcased his all-round prowess as Jacks recorded a crucial 194 runs, at a strike rate of 173, and also scalped 11 wickets as he bailed his side out of precarious situations.

He bagged four Player of the Match Awards, and created history by becoming the player with joint-most Man of the Match prizes in a single T20 World Cup edition.

Shadley van Schalkwyk

While everyone expected the big guns to trouble the batters, USA pacer, Shadley van Schalkwyk came out of syllabus as he produced countless memorable performances against India and Pakistan.

He played just 4 matches in the World Cup (all in the group stage), and finished with 13 wickets, at an economy of just 6.81 runs per over. The highlight of his stellar campaign was the performance against India, and Pakistan, as he scalped 4 wickets in both matches, and stunned the famed batting lineup of both the Asian sides.

Who deserves to become the February Player of the Month?

While all three players mentioned have delivered the goods for their side, for his audacious batting, and record-breaking runs, Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan should pip the others to bag the coveted prize.

Kohli’s record stood for 12 years, and it needed something special from someone to break the feat and Sahibzada achieved it with twin centuries. Moreover, he single-handedly carried Pakistan’s batting lineup into the Super 8 stage as others faltered and failed.

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