Dubai [UAE], January 8 : Australian pacer Mitchell Starc headlined the nominees for the ICC Men's Player of the Month for December 2025, with West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves and New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy also making the cut.
The left-arm pacer was instrumental in sealing Australia's Ashes series win in December itself, taking 16 wickets and scoring 139 runs across the first three Tests at Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. His dominant tenth-wicket haul in Perth set the tone for a largely Australian-dominant series and also posted useful fifties down the order, as per ICC.
During the second Brisbane Test, his 77 took Australia past the 500-run mark in the first innings and paved the way for a 177-run first innings lead from which England could not recover. Besides that, he took a total of eight wickets, including a six-wicket haul. At Adelaide, his 54 in the first innings helped Australia score a solid total of 371 runs and took a total of four wickets with the ball. Moving on to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), he took two wickets each in both innings, but his side lost the Test match, their first loss to England at home after 18 Tests.

The Windies all-rounder had an incredible tour to New Zealand, scoring 283 runs at an average of 56.60 in three Tests, including an unbeaten 202* at Christchurch in the first Test. That knock, during which he partnered with Kemar Roach down the order, saw Windies almost chase down the 531-run target, but the match was drawn. He also took five wickets with the ball during the series at an average of 48.80.

The New Zealand pacer dominated the home series against WI, securing 23 scalps at an average of 15.43, with three five-wicket hauls and a four-fer to his name. Duffy played the role of side's pace leader in the absence of Matt Henry and other crucial pacers due to injuries as the series progressed, and led them to a 2-0 win, and also got a shiny 'Player of the Series' trophy as a reminder of his dominance.
He also ended 2025 as the top wicket-taker across all formats, with a total of 81 wickets, surpassing the 40-year-old record by Richard Hadlee (79 wickets in 1985) for most wickets by a Kiwi bowler during a Test series.