Sri Lankan spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who made a sensational debut against Bangladesh by taking 11 wickets, has been banned for one year from all forms of cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit found him guilty of failing to comply with its regulations. Jayawickrama, 25, was under investigation for a corruption-related incident that occurred during the 2021 Lanka Premier League. The ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit had requested information regarding a specific transaction, which Jayawickrama was unable to provide. Following his admission of guilt, the ICC has imposed the one-year ban as per its regulations. Babar Azam steps down as Pakistan white-ball captain The ICC, in an official statement, noted, “Praveen Jayawickrama has admitted to his offence, and following the ICC’s constitution, he has been suspended for one year.” This suspension comes as a significant setback for Jayawickrama, who has been out of the Sri Lankan national squad for the past six months due to the ongoing investigation. Jayawickrama, who made his international debut in 2021, took 11 wickets in his maiden Test against Bangladesh, earning the Player of the Match award. He played five Tests and took 25 wickets, along with five wickets in five One Day Internationals. His last appearance for Sri Lanka was in June 2022 against Australia. Mehidy named among top-five Test all-rounders Despite his early success, Jayawickrama has struggled to maintain his position in the national side, and this ban is likely to further delay his return to international cricket. The incident serves as a stern reminder of the ICC’s stringent stance on maintaining the integrity of the sport.   Source: Agencies    

Cricket's highest governing body, ICC has been honouring the 'Best Player of the Month' since 2021. In continuation of this, Bangladesh's Mr. dependable batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has been nominated for the Award for the month of May. Mushfiqur was awarded Man of the Series for his great performance against Sri Lanka in the last bilateral series. Thanks to this he has earned a place on the month's top players list. The other two nominees are Pakistan's Hasan Ali and Praveen Jayawickrama of Sri Lanka. This article discusses who is going to finally bag the 'ICC Player of the Month' Award for May.    The front-runner for the ICC's Player of the month for May award Nominees Mushfiqur Rahim, Hasan Ali, and Praveen Jayawickrama each played well for their respective countries in May. So they are worthy contenders for this award. Let's take a look at how they performed. Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh) Test: 2 | Runs: 148 | Ave: 74.00 | HS: 68* | 100s: 0 ODI: 3 | Runs: 237 | Ave: 79.00 | HS: 125 | 100s: 1 Source: ESPNCricinfo Mushfiqur Rahim was outstanding in the first two matches of the Sri Lanka series, and he was instrumental in Bangladesh's 2-1 ODI series victory. Thanks to his prudent batting, Bangladesh won the bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka for the first time with a game in hand. Mushfiqur shared a 109-run partnership with veteran Mahmudullah Riyad after the Tigers lost four wickets for 99 runs in the first match of the series. As a result, Bangladesh were able to put up a challenging 256-run on board to defend. The hosts eventually won the match by 33 runs. Mushfiqur turned even more destructive in the second match. He batted aggressively for 125 runs, helping Bangladesh in putting up a fighting score. Bangladesh secured the series victory by winning the rain-affected match by 103 runs (D/L method). He also played well in the Test series against the Lankans. That's why the best middle-order batsman of Bangladesh, Mushfiqur Rahim is the favourite to win the best player of the May award. Read Three defeats in a row: Mohammedan’s struggle continues Praveen Jayawickrama (Sri Lanka) Test: 1 | Wkts: 11 | Ave: 16.18 | BBI: 6/92 | 5W: 2 Source: ESPNCricinfo Sri Lanka's Praveen Jayawickrama guided his country to a 1-0 series win grabbing 11 wickets in the second and final Test against Bangladesh. Bangladesh's batters had failed to deal with his spinning bowling. Bangladesh went down by a massive margin of 209 runs in the series-deciding match. This rising Lankan spinner is one of the leading contenders for May's ICC best player award of the month.    Hasan Ali (Pakistan) Test: 2 | Wkts: 14 | Ave: 8.92 | BBI: 5/27 | 5W: 2 Source: ESPNCricinfo Pace bowling all-rounder, Hasan Ali was instrumental in Pakistan's 2-0 Test series victory over Zimbabwe. Hasan Ali has been in excellent form since returning from injury. He has taken 14 wickets in two encounters against Zimbabwe. The host batters were unable to do well in both Tests because of his precise bowling. Zimbabwe lost to Pakistan by an innings and 118 runs in the first Test and by an innings and 148 runs in the second Test. So it will not be a surprise if Hasan Ali is named the best player for May. Read International Fixtures Which Could Help Bangladesh's T20 World Cup Preparation  Verdict Mushfiqur Rahim is the leading contender for the ICC’s Player of the Month for May award. Bangladesh won the first two matches and the bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim's outstanding performance. On the other hand, Pakistan's Hasan Ali played a key role in winning the Test series against Zimbabwe and Praveen Jayawickrama played well for the Lankans against Bangladesh. While earning a name on the top list is a great honour, we would expect the ICC to choose the best athlete for the award.