Kamindu Mendis claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after his historic efforts at the crease helped Sri Lanka comfortably win the first Test in their ICC World Test Championship showdown against Bangladesh in Sylhet.

Mendis may have made a quiet start to the month in the T20I series that opened Sri Lanka’s tour to Bangladesh, but he soon reversed his fortunes with a memorable performance in the first Test match in Sylhet.

Striding out to the crease with the tourists at 57 for five, Mendis rescued Sri Lanka’s first innings alongside Dhananjaya de Silva, thwarting Bangladesh’s firing bowlers on his way to hitting a controlled 102 – his first Test century – to help them post a respectable opening total of 280.

With a healthy first innings lead, the second innings presented a similar challenge when Mendis came to the middle. Sri Lanka had extended their advantage but limped to 126 for six when the batter initiated another stirring fightback, supported again by the brilliant de Silva at the other end. Both batters counterattacked and crossed the three-figure milestone, but Mendis’ mammoth 164 in 237 balls was the standout performance as Sri Lanka eventually sealed victory by 328 runs.

With his century in the second innings, Mendis became the first player batting at number seven or lower to hit two centuries in a single Test.

ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March, Kamindu Mendis, said, “I am extremely happy to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month, which I consider an inspiration for my international career. A recognition such as this motivates and makes us as players work more and more to deliver in the middle for the team, country, and fans.

“I also wish the very best for the other two players who were nominated along with me, Mark Adair and Matt Henry, whom I consider excellent players and good competitors.”

(Excerpts : ICC)