Kamindu Mendis and Chamari Athapaththu were honoured as the standout performers in Sri Lankan cricket at the 2024 Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Awards, held on Monday. Mendis and Athapaththu were named Men’s and Women’s Cricketers of the Year, respectively, in a ceremony held for the first time since 2017.
Kamindu Mendis had an exceptional year in Test cricket, earning him the title of best Test batter. He amassed 1,049 runs at an average of 74.92, outshining Dinesh Chandimal, who scored 724 runs. Globally, only a few, including England’s Joe Root and Ben Duckett, scored more, though they played more matches than Mendis’ nine Tests.
In the white-ball segment, the top batter awards were divided between Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka. Kusal Mendis took the T20I accolade with 628 runs at a strike rate of 127.64. Meanwhile, Nissanka excelled in ODIs, chalking up 694 runs at 63.09, and notably scoring 210 not out against Afghanistan, becoming the first Sri Lankan to achieve a white-ball double century.
Chamari Athapaththu was the evening’s biggest star, with six awards, including Women’s Cricketer of the Year. She dominated T20I batting, bowling, and allrounder categories by accumulating 720 runs and claiming 21 wickets. In ODI matches, her 458 runs at 65.42, paired with nine wickets, secured her best batter and allrounder accolades. Only Kavisha Dilhari’s 17 ODI wickets prevented Athapaththu from sweeping all categories.
In men’s Test cricket, Prabath Jayasuriya’s 48 wickets earned him the best bowler title, edging out Asitha Fernando. Dhananjaya de Silva was named best Test allrounder, contributing 710 runs and six wickets over ten matches.
Wanindu Hasaranga made his mark in limited-overs cricket, winning best bowler awards in both T20Is and ODIs, with 38 and 26 wickets, respectively. His overall T20I performance, including 179 runs, also merited the best T20I allrounder honour.
Charith Asalanka, the national men’s team captain, was recognised as the best ODI allrounder, scoring 605 runs and taking ten wickets with impressive economy. His efforts helped Sri Lanka secure a 12-3 record in ODIs during the year.
