After India series heroics, Sri Lanka's Sonal Dinusha nominated for ICC award
After a sensational campaign against India during the recently concluded Test series, Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha has been nominated for the ICC Player Of The Month award for August 2026. Along with Dinusha, England fast bowler Ollie Robinson and Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud have also been shortlisted for the Player of the Month award for August.
The women’s shortlist features Thailand duo Suleeport Laomi and Nannapat Koncharoenkai, along with Lucy Barnett. Barnett has made history by becoming the first cricketer from the Isle of Man to earn a place on an ICC Player of the Month shortlist.
All three nominees for the men’s award caught the eye with their performances in Test cricket during August.
DINUSHA’S HEROICS VS INDIA
Dinusha enjoyed a prolific August with the bat, emerging as Sri Lanka’s standout performer in their two-Test ICC World Test Championship series against India.
The left-handed batter began the series strongly in Galle, scoring a superb hundred in the first innings of the opening Test before adding a determined 84 in the second, despite Sri Lanka eventually going down in the match.
Dinusha raised his game even further in the second Test in Colombo. After making 103 in the first innings, he produced another outstanding knock of 133 not out in the second to help Sri Lanka fight their way to a memorable draw.
Across the two Tests, Dinusha piled up 420 runs at a remarkable average of 140.00, finishing as the highest run-getter across both teams by a comfortable margin.
His ability to deliver big scores consistently gave Sri Lanka a strong foundation throughout the series and played a key role in keeping the hosts competitive against India.
Robinson was instrumental in England’s commanding start to their home Test series against Pakistan, dismantling the visitors with a pair of sensational performances.
The seamer returned career-best figures of 8/80 in the opening Test before going one better with 8/35 in the second, helping England take a 2-0 series lead. Robinson ended August with 16 wickets from two Tests at an extraordinary average of 7.18, with his new-ball impact proving crucial to both wins.
Mahmud, meanwhile, played a starring role in Bangladesh’s historic first Test victory in Australia. The pacer led the charge in Darwin with figures of 6/55 and 3/56, producing a match-winning display as Bangladesh sealed a landmark triumph.
Hasan finished the two-Test series with nine wickets at an average of 19.77, with his Darwin heroics central to one of the biggest wins in Bangladesh’s Test history.
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