Chanders top of the pops
West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul was named as the 2008
International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year at an awards
ceremony here on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old left-hander, a mainstay of his side’s batting for
over a decade, was chosen ahead of his three fellow nominees - Sri Lanka
captain Mahela Jayawardene, South Africa skipper Graeme Smith and
Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn.
During the voting period, the gritty Guyanese played eight Test
matches, scoring 819 runs at an average of 91.00, including three
centuries and six fifties, all of which were against the top seven teams
in the world.
“I am honoured to be given this prestigious award tonight and I am
very thankful to God for blessing me with the talent that I have,”
Chanderpaul said upon receiving his award.
Chanderpaul, who follows India’s Rahul Dravid, all-rounders Andrew
Flintoff (England) and Jacques Kallis (South Africa), the joint winners
in 2005, and two-time ICC Cricketer of the Year Ricky Ponting, the
Australia captain, in taking the award, also played 13 ODIs during the
voting period.
He finished top of the averages with 74.75 having scored 598 runs, a
haul that included a century and five fifties.
He is currently ranked number one in the ICC Test batting rankings
and sixth in the list for ODI batsmen. There was a consolation for Steyn
when the paceman was named Test player of the year.
During the 12-month voting period, Steyn took 86 wickets at an
average of just 18.10 in the 14 Test matches he played. No other bowler
took more than 58 wickets in the same period and he was the only bowler
to earn an average less than 21.50 (of those who played more than three
matches).
“I have had a pretty decent year I suppose but I didn’t think about
winning this award until the past few days,” said Steyn. “I don’t really
know how I feel.
Perhaps tomorrow morning it will have sunk in for me because
obviously this is a huge award and it’s massive for me,” added the
bowler, who recently helped South Africa win their first Test series in
England since 1965. India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named as the
one-day player of the year, while his team-mate Yuvraj Singh won the
inaugural international Twenty20 performance of the year award after
striking six sixes off an over from England quick Stuart Broad during
last year’s World Twenty20 in South Africa. Sri Lanka’s ‘mystery’
spinner Ajantha Mendis was chosen as the emerging player of the year
while England captain Charlotte Edwards was named as the women’s player
of the year.
Australia’s Simon Taufel, the only man ever to win his award, was
named as umpire of the year for the fifth time in a row. Dutch
all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate won the Associate player of the year
award for those outside the Test elite.
Sri Lanka, for the second year in a row, won the spirit of cricket
award presented to the team which, in the opinion of the ICC elite
panels of umpires and match referees, has best conducted itself on the
field.
Chanderpaul and Steyn also featured in the ICC Test team of the year
chosen by the ICC selection panel chaired by former West Indies captain
Clive Lloyd and including Australia batting great Greg Chappell,
recently retired South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock, Sidath
Wettimuny, the former Sri Lanka opener and former Bangladesh batsman
Athar Ali Khan.
Australia fast bowler Brett Lee was the only player included in both
the ICC’s Test and one-day teams of the year.
DUBAI, Thursday AFP |