Ajantha Mendis holds his trophy of the ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ at the ICC Awards 2008 ceremony in Dubai, UAE, on Wed. (10). In 3 Tests against India, he claimed 26 wickets at an average of 18.38 with an array of spinners including the strange ‘Carrom ball.’ During the voting period for the award, Ajantha played 8 ODIs where he bagged 20 wickets at 10.25 making him the most outstanding newcomer to international cricket ahead of players like English all-rounder Stuart Broad, South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel and the Indian pacie Ishant Sharma. Accepting his award, Ajantha said: "… It is an honour to play for SL and I hope to continue playing for my country for a long time to come." See Pg.12. (AP/Kamran Jebreili)