SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS – By Victor Melder
Dinesh Chandimal has withdrawn from the team playing the 2nd Test match against Bangladesh with immediate effect due to a ‘family medical emergency.’ Accordingly, Chandimal will return home immediately, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said. “Sri Lanka Cricket, his teammates, and the coaching staff fully support Dinesh Chandimal at this moment of need and request that the public respect his and his family’s privacy,” SLC said. Today is the 4th day of the 2nd Test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which is being played in Chattogram, Bangladesh. (Daily Mirror, 2.4.2024)
The touring Sri Lankans beat Bangladesh by 192 runs to win the second and final Test played at Zahur Ahmed Chowdury Stadium, Chattogram. Sri Lanka won the 2-match Series 2 – 0. Scores:
Sri Lanka – 1st Innings – 531 (Kusal Mendis 93, Kamindu Mendis 92, Karunaratne 86, de Silva 70, Chandimal 59, Madushka 57, Al Hasan 3/110, Mahmud 2/92)
Bangladesh – 1s t Innings – 178 (Hasan 54, Haque 33, Asitha Fernando 4/34, Kumara 2/19, Viswa fernando 2/38)
Sri Lanka – 2nd Innings – 175/7 dec (Mathews 56, Madushka 34, Jayasuriya 28, Mahmud 4/65, Ahmed 2/34)
Bangladesh – 2nd Innings – 318 (Miraz 81, Haque 50, Das 38, Al Hasan 36, Kumara 4/50, Kamindu Mendis 3/32, Jayasuriya 2/99)
Points: Sri Lanka 12, Bangladesh 0.
Test Debut: Hasan Mahmud (Bangladesh)
Player of the Match: Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka)
Player of the Series: Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka)
Kamindu Mendis has beat off competition for Ireland pacer Mark Adair and New Zealand speedster Matt Henry to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award for March 2024. Mendis became the third Sri Lankan after Prabath Jayasuriya and Wanindu Hasaranga to win the Men’s prize. The batter sees this award as a source of inspiration for his future in international cricket. “I am extremely happy to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month, which I consider an inspiration for my international career,” Mendis expressed. “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.” It has been a return to remember for the 25-year-old, who came back to the Sri Lanka setup for the first time since 2022. Mendis started the month with 68 runs in the three-match series against Bangladesh, of which 37 came in the second T20I off 27 balls. He outshone himself in the longer format, delivering an exceptional performance by scoring centuries in both innings of the first Test against the same opponents. Walking in to bat when Sri Lanka were in big trouble at 57/5, he stitched a massive 202-run stand with Dhananjaya de Silva to take the team to a respectable total of 280. Both the batters got to a century, with Mendis scoring 102. After skittling out Bangladesh for 188, the duo once again rescued the visitors and cemented their dominance over Bangladesh with individual centuries. Mendis, batting at No.8 with the score at 126/6, crafted a career-best 164 runs adorned with 16 fours and 6 sixes. In doing so, Mendis become the first player batting at number seven or lower to hit two centuries in a single Test. Sri Lanka posted 418 and bowled Bangladesh out for 182, winning the match by a massive margin of 328 runs, (Daily Island, 8.4.2024)
Sri Lanka all-rounder Kamindu Mendis and former Captain Angelo Mathews have progressed in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after contributing to their team’s 192-run victory in Chattogram that helped complete a 2-0 win in the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. Kamindu’s scores of 92 not out and nine have lifted him 18 places to 46th position in the batters’ list while his three-wicket haul in the second innings sees him gain 46 slots and reach 117th position among bowlers. Mathews, who enjoyed a career-high third rank in August 2014, has increased two places to 25th after scores of 23 and 56. In what is another notable movement for a Sri Lankan batter, Kusal Mendis has progressed three places to 52nd after scoring 93 in the first innings.In the bowling rankings, Asitha Fernando has moved up seven places to 27th position after a four-wicket haul in the first innings, Vishwa Fernando is up from 43rd to 41st with three wickets in the match and Lahiru Kumara has gone from 46th to 44th after finishing with six wickets in Chattogram. Meanwhile, Dimuth Karunaratne’s drop of one place to eighth was the only movement in the top 10. (Daily Mirror, 10.4.2025)
