Sri Lankan sensation Kamindu Mendis has achieved more glory in his meteoric rise in International cricket. The right-handed batter has taken the cricketing world by storm, registering several milestones in the ongoing year. He now has added another feather to his cap.
Mendis was named as the ICC Player of the Month Award winner for September 2024 on Monday, October 14. This was his second monthly honour in 2024. The 26-year-old has become the first Sri Lankan and only the second player in history to bag the Player of the Month Award twice in the same year. He joins Shubman Gill in this rare list.
Mendis played four Test matches in September and struck two centuries and a fifty-plus score in those games. He helped the Lankan Lions bag their only Test victory in the three-match series against England at The Oval before starring in the home series 2-0 win over New Zealand.
On being named the Player of the Month for the second time, Mendis said, "I am honoured to be once again chosen as the ICC Men’s Player of the Month, and this accolade brings me immense happiness and pride, as I believe all the hard work that was put into becoming the player that I am today is starting to pay off and being recognised consistently in the global stage.
"This recognition gives me further strength to continue my good work on the cricketing field and aspire for bigger achievements, thus helping my team win games and bring glory to our country and happiness to our fans," he added.
He had become the first player in the history of Test cricket to score fifty-plus scores in each of his first eight Test matches and also became the joint second-fastest player to reach 1000 Test runs.
On the women's front, England's opening batter Tammy Beaumont was named the Player of the Month for September. She struck 279 runs in the white-ball series against Ireland in the previous month, including a century and a fifty.
"Thank you to everyone who voted for me as ICC Women's Player of the Month for September. "It was a great tour in Ireland with an inexperienced England team and it was really nice to contribute personally," Beaumont said after winning the monthly award.
"I saw firsthand how well Aimee Maguire bowled for Ireland and she fully deserved the nomination. Congratulations to Esha Oza too," she added.
