ICC announces the Men's Player of the Month nominees for March 2024 

The International Cricket Committee (ICC) has released the list of nominees for the Player of the Month award for March. In a time phase where international cricket has taken a backseat and the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reigned supreme, some select players have managed to mark their presence through their exploits on the international circuit.

Two pacers from Ireland and New Zealand while one player from Sri Lanka make up the three candidates who are up for the coveted award. The three teams were involved in bilateral affairs as international cricket slowly dwindled as IPL 2024 approached.

Mark Adair was the first player to be picked as a nominee for the coveted award. He played a crucial role in Ireland's historic Test win over Afghanistan. He was crowned Player of the Match for his eight wickets, which laid the foundation for his side's six-wicket triumph. He recorded a five-wicket haul in the first innings, resulting in Afghanistan being bowled out for 155 runs. The bowling figures of 5/39 turned out to be his best in an innings in his first-class career.

The Ireland pacer also had an excellent month with the white ball as he was among the wickets in his side's bilateral affair against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Although he began the tour with dismal figures of 0/79 in Ireland's 35-run loss, he picked up form to claim three wickets in his next appearance.

Adair picked up five wickets in the ensuing T20I series, which Ireland lost by a 1-2 margin. The best of his displays in the three-match affair came in the second T20I, where he finished with figures of 3-27, but in a losing cause.

New Zealand pacer Matt Henry, who was recently drafted by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as a replacement for David Willey, is the second player on the list. He was named Player of the Series for his exceptional display with the ball in New Zealand's 0-2 loss to Australia on home soil.

The right-arm pacer picked up 17 wickets in total, eight wickets in the series opener, and nine in the second and final Test. He recorded one of his finest bowling figures in the first innings of the second Test in Christchurch, when he picked up seven wickets for 67 runs.

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Kamindu Mendis picked as the 3rd nominees for ICC Men's Player of the Month for march award

Captain of Sri Lanka in the 2018 U-19 World Cup, Kamindu Mendis has had to wait for his chances, but recently came of age with his match-winning twin hundreds in the first Test against Bangladesh.

In the first innings, Mendis came out to bat in Sylhet when Sri Lanka were tottering at 57/5. He put on a mammoth partnership with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva to rescue Sri Lanka out of trouble. Their efforts propelled Sri Lanka's total to 280 runs, which turned out to make a huge difference.

The second time around, Kaminu Mendis' hundred helped Sri Lanka capitalise on the mammoth lead, eventually handing Bangladesh a 511-run target. However, before his red-ball heroics, he made a mark in the limited over series as well, scoring a set of cameos in the T20I series.