ICC named Men's Player of the Month nominees for September

"Two highly impactful Sri Lankan stars join a fast-scoring Australian batter in the ICC Men's Player of the Month nominees for September 2024, based on matches that were completed during the calendar month," ICC wrote in a statement.

Travis Head underlined his status as one of the leading limited-overs batters in the world to put himself in contention for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for September. Continuing to excel in his role as the white-ball opener for Australia, Head produced a string of impressive knocks against England and Scotland on his team's recent tour.

Across his five T20I appearances in the month, Head scored 182 runs at a ridiculous strike rate of 245.94. Those efforts included a 23-ball 59 against England and a phenomenal 25-ball 80 against Scotland, which helped Australia rack up 113 runs in the Powerplay overs - the highest Powerplay total ever registered by a full-member nation in a T20I.

Head scored 248 runs at an average of 82.66 in his four innings in the five-match series, hitting at a strike rate of 120.97 and picking up six wickets on the tour to boot, most notably bagging 4/28 in the decisive fifth ODI to help Australia win the series.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner continued his remarkable Test form to earn him a nomination for the September Player of the Month award. Jayasuriya played a huge role in his team's series win over New Zealand, taking nine wickets in each of the two-Test victories, including a five-wicket haul in each match.

His 5/68 in the second innings of the first Test in Galle came on a dramatic final day as the tourists were bowled out 63 runs shy of their target. And the 32-year-old's 6/42 in the second Test set up what was a crushing victory to seal the series.

Over the month he took 21 wickets at 27.90 in three Tests, including the second Test in England.

And in the month he became the fastest Sri Lankan in history to reach 100 wickets in Test cricket, doing so after just 16 matches. No Sri Lankan bowler has previously reached the landmark in fewer than 24 Tests.

The remarkable start to Kamindu Mendis' Test career continued as records tumbled for the stylish left-hander in September. Mendis played four Tests in the month, scoring 451 runs at an average of 90.20, helping his side to a consolation win at The Oval in England before playing his part in a superb series victory against New Zealand back in Sri Lanka.

His biggest score of the month was a dominant 182* in Sri Lanka's mammoth first-innings total of 602/5 declared in the second Test against New Zealand, a knock that helped set up a convincing win. (ANI)