The 21-year-old left-arm batsman and spinner eclipsed South Africa's Keshav Maharaj and West Indies' Jayden Seales to claim the prestigious award.
Wellalage's contributions were instrumental in Sri Lanka's historic ODI series victory over India, their first bilateral series victory against the cricket giants since 1997.
Even though India were heavy favorites, bolstered by the return of stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Wellalage's brilliant performance helped Sri Lanka overcome the formidable challenge.
Throughout the series, Wellalage amassed 108 runs and took seven wickets, making crucial contributions in each game. In the first ODI, he scored a career-best unbeaten 67 not out and claimed the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, helping Sri Lanka secure a thrilling draw.
His 39 matches in the second ODI played a pivotal role in setting a win total for Sri Lanka. While he did not fire with the bat in the third ODI, Wellalage produced a career-best bowling performance of 5/27, dismantling India's batting order and taking the prized wickets of Kohli, Rohit and Shreyas Iyer.
Upon receiving the award, Wellalage expressed his joy and gratitude: “This recognition gives me more strength to continue doing the good work I do as a player and contribute to my team achieving excellence on the field. I wish to thank my colleagues, parents, "friends and family... as they have supported me throughout," Wellalage told ICC.
Wellalage's award marks the second time a Sri Lankan player has won the award this year, with teammate Kamindu Mendis claiming the honor in March 2024. It's a double celebration for Sri Lanka as Harshita Samarawickrama was named Player of the Month of August of the ICC.
He beat off competition from the Irish duo of Orla Prendergast and Gaby Lewis to take the honour. It is also the third award for a woman in the island nation in 2024, as Athapaththu won the award in May and July.
The left-hander dominated Ireland in the ODI and T20I stages of the tour, scoring some monster scores along the way.
"I am very happy with this recognition, which I consider a new milestone in my career. It certainly gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the big competition, the Women's T20 World Cup," Harshita said.
"This achievement would not have been possible without the incredible support network around me: my teammates, coaches, parents, my sister, my brother, my friends and my mentors. I take this opportunity to thank them all.
"I also want to congratulate the players who were nominated alongside me for the Player of the Month award. They are immensely talented and I loved competing with such quality," she added.
Wellalage's contributions were instrumental in Sri Lanka's historic ODI series victory over India, their first bilateral series victory against the cricket giants since 1997.
Even though India were heavy favorites, bolstered by the return of stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Wellalage's brilliant performance helped Sri Lanka overcome the formidable challenge.
Throughout the series, Wellalage amassed 108 runs and took seven wickets, making crucial contributions in each game. In the first ODI, he scored a career-best unbeaten 67 not out and claimed the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, helping Sri Lanka secure a thrilling draw.
His 39 matches in the second ODI played a pivotal role in setting a win total for Sri Lanka. While he did not fire with the bat in the third ODI, Wellalage produced a career-best bowling performance of 5/27, dismantling India's batting order and taking the prized wickets of Kohli, Rohit and Shreyas Iyer.
Upon receiving the award, Wellalage expressed his joy and gratitude: “This recognition gives me more strength to continue doing the good work I do as a player and contribute to my team achieving excellence on the field. I wish to thank my colleagues, parents, "friends and family... as they have supported me throughout," Wellalage told ICC.
Wellalage's award marks the second time a Sri Lankan player has won the award this year, with teammate Kamindu Mendis claiming the honor in March 2024. It's a double celebration for Sri Lanka as Harshita Samarawickrama was named Player of the Month of August of the ICC.
He beat off competition from the Irish duo of Orla Prendergast and Gaby Lewis to take the honour. It is also the third award for a woman in the island nation in 2024, as Athapaththu won the award in May and July.
The left-hander dominated Ireland in the ODI and T20I stages of the tour, scoring some monster scores along the way.
"I am very happy with this recognition, which I consider a new milestone in my career. It certainly gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the big competition, the Women's T20 World Cup," Harshita said.
"This achievement would not have been possible without the incredible support network around me: my teammates, coaches, parents, my sister, my brother, my friends and my mentors. I take this opportunity to thank them all.
"I also want to congratulate the players who were nominated alongside me for the Player of the Month award. They are immensely talented and I loved competing with such quality," she added.
