Bangladesh’s pace sensation Nahid Rana has been crowned the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for April 2026 following a dominant display against New Zealand.The right-arm quick becomes the first Bangladeshi to claim the men’s monthly award since Mehidy Hasan Miraz did so exactly one year ago.

Rana’s selection follows a three-match ODI series where he claimed eight wickets at an impressive average of 16.75 and a lean economy of 4.46. This performance mirrored his exceptional form from March, where he also picked up eight wickets in a series against Pakistan.

Nahid Rana’s five-wicket haul powers Bangladesh to comfortable win over Pakistan

The series against the Black Caps began quietly for the pacer, who took a single wicket while conceding 65 runs in the opening match.

However, he responded with a career-best performance in the second ODI. Rana dismantled the New Zealand top order with two early strikes in the Powerplay before returning to tear through the middle order, finishing with figures of 5/32.

His efforts saw the visitors bundled out for 198.

The 23-year-old maintained his intensity in the series decider at Chattogram, picking up two more wickets to guide Bangladesh to a 2-1 series victory. His consistent threat with the ball also earned him the Player of the Series title.

“It’s a great feeling to be named the ICC Player of the Month after performing well against a world-class side like New Zealand,” Rana said to ICC.

He attributed the success to the support of his teammates and expressed a desire to continue contributing to the national side.