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Wednesday, 21 October 2015 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Dialog Cricketer of the Year - Angelo Mathews
Dialog People’s Player of the Year - Kumar Sangakkara
ESPNCricinfo: Angelo Mathews’ excellent form with the bat and consistent performances with the ball, have earned him four major Sri Lanka Cricket awards, including his second successive Cricketer of the Year prize. He also won the Test batsman trophy, and the ODI batsman and allrounder awards.
Mathews’ stretch of good form has extended into 2015, but he received his prizes for last year’s work. The period under consideration was January 2014 to December 2014, in which he hit 1160 Test runs at 77.33 and 1244 ODI runs at 62.20. He claimed 18 ODI wickets at 36.16 during this period.
Rangana Herath won the Test bowler prize for a 2014 that brought him 56 wickets at 27.17. Ajantha Mendis was the Best ODI bowler for his 38 wickets at 21.63. Mendis was not picked for Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad this year, however, and has since been out with injury ever since.
Kusal Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara won the T20 batting and bowling awards respectively. Kusal also won the Emerging Cricketer of the Year award, having recently flourished in ODIs and made a bright start in Tests.
Mathews could not budge Kumar Sangakkara’s six-year grip on the People’s Choice Award, which was voted through online and text message polling. However, Mathews’ award for Test batsman of the year broke Sangakkara’s five-year streak for the award. Both Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were in attendance.
Chamari Atapattu won the batting prize in the women’s category, with Inoka Ranaweera and Eshani Lokusuriyage taking the bowling and allrounder awards. The team had recently lost to West Indies in home T20 and ODI series, but had defeated Pakistan in an away ODI series prior to that.
As for the domestic awards, Badureliya Sports Club’s Milinda Siriwardana, who recently made his Test debut, won the batting award for the Premier League Tournament, in which he struck 1144 runs at 67.29. Left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara, who took 70 wickets at 16.72 playing for Ports Authority Cricket Club, claimed the Best Bowler award.
Saracens CC’s Umesh Karunaratne won the allrounder prize. Pushpakumara also won the prize for List A bowling, with batsman Lahiru Milantha and allrounder Asela Gunaratne also picking up awards for the Premier Limited Over Tournament.
The visiting West Indies team was in attendance, along with support staff. Clive Lloyd, Curtly Ambrose and Richie Richardson all presented awards.
Pix by Upul Abayasekara
