The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the nominees for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for March 2024 on Thursday. Three players, two pacers from Ireland and New Zealand, and a Sri Lankan all-rounder, are in contention.
Mark Adair (Ireland): The first nominee is Ireland pace bowler Mark Adair, who played a pivotal role in his team's historic Test win over Afghanistan. He was named Player of the Match for his eight wickets, which laid the foundation for a six-wicket victory. Adair's five-wicket haul in the first innings restricted Afghanistan to 155 runs, his best performance in a first-class innings.
Adair also impressed with the white ball in a subsequent ODI series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After conceding 0/79 in Ireland's opening loss, he bounced back to take three wickets in the next match. He claimed five wickets in the three-match T20I series, which Ireland lost 2-1. His best bowling figures came in the second T20I, where he took 3/27 in a losing effort.
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Matt Henry (New Zealand): New Zealand pace bowler Matt Henry, recently drafted by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as a replacement for David Willey, is the second nominee. He was Player of the Series for his exceptional bowling display in New Zealand's 0-2 Test series loss to Australia at home.
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The right-armer picked up 17 wickets in total, including eight in the series opener and nine in the final Test. He recorded his best bowling figures in the first innings of the second Test in Christchurch, taking 7/67.
Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka): The final nominee is Sri Lanka batsman Kamindu Mendis, captain of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup team. After waiting for his chance, Mendis recently came of age with match-winning twin hundreds in the first Test against Bangladesh.
In the first innings at Sylhet, Mendis arrived at the crease with Sri Lanka struggling at 57/5. He stitched a mammoth partnership with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva to rescue his team. Their efforts propelled Sri Lanka to 280 runs, a crucial total.
Mendis' second hundred in the second innings helped Sri Lanka capitalize on their lead and set Bangladesh an improbable 511-run target. Before his Test heroics, he also made cameos in the preceding T20I series.
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