Kamindu and Prabath shortlisted for ICC Player of the Month award

Sri Lankan Test cricketers Prabath Jayasuriya and Kamindu Mendis who performed well recently are among the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) nominees for September’s ICC Player of the Month awards.

The ICC Men’s Player of the Month candidates include three previous Players of the Month winners aiming to secure their second prize – two Sri Lankan Test stars Jayasuriya, Mendis and experienced cricketer from Australia Travis Head are competing to win the award. Last August two Sri Lankans Dunith Wellalage and Harshitha Samarawickrama won the men’s and women’s ICC monthly award.

Travis Head aims to win his second ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after excelling with bat and ball in the shorter formats against Scotland and England in September while joining him on the shortlist for the monthly award is Sri Lankan two star players Prabath Jayasuriya and Kamindu Mendis. Another former winner of the Men’s Player of the Month award back in July 2022 Prabath Jayasuriya was a consistently threatening presence in the Sri Lankan bowling lineup during September.

He took three wickets in the second Test defeat against England, yet saved his best individual performances for the visit of New Zealand to Galle. He claimed the Player of the Match award for nine wickets in the first Test, which included a pivotal five-for in the second innings to hold off the Blackcaps’ charge, and took another nine wickets in the second Test, highlighted by six for 42 in the first innings.

The 26-year-old left hander Kamindu Mendis has made plenty of headlines in 2024, and continues his record-breaking form in the longest format after a landmark September which included 451 runs at an average of 90.20 in four Tests. He is the most consistent batsman of the Sri Lanka side being promoted to number five from number seven at the test side at the last New Zealand series. A half-century in the final Test victory over England in Oval, London preceded century scores of 114 and 182 not out (his career best ) respectively in the two Tests against New Zealand at Galle making Mendis the first player to pass fifty in each of his first eight Tests, and the fastest batter in 75 years to reach 1,000 Test runs in just 13 innings in his 8 matches.