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MUMBAI:
Australian captain Ricky Ponting was named Player of the Year
at the ICC Awards, held in Johannesburg.
Ponting
also scooped the Captain of the Year award and was named in
both ICC World Teams of the Year, as chosen by a panel of
some of the greats of the game.
Ponting
was joined on the winners’ list by Australia team-mates
Matthew Hayden, who took the ODI Player of the Year award,
and Shaun Tait, who was named Emerging Player of the Year.
Tonight
Jhulan Goswami followed in the footsteps of former Australia
captain Karen Rolton to become the second ever Women’s
Player of the Year. She beat Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar
and Claire Taylor of England to that honour.
For
the first time, there was an award for the Associate ODI Player
of the Year to mark the contribution that the non-Full Member
teams are making to the world of cricket. Kenya all-rounder
Thomas Odoyo became the inaugural winner of this award, having
a fine year with both bat and ball.
There
were eight individual awards handed out, a Spirit of Cricket
Award and the two ICC Teams of the Year – for Tests and
ODIs – were announced.
Pakistan
run machine Mohammad Yousuf scooped the Test Player of the
Year award and Sri Lanka took the Spirit of Cricket Award.
ICC
President Ray Mali said, "The past year has been another
exciting one for cricket fans around the world in a time that
included the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World
Cup. These players have contributed hugely to our enjoyment.
This is the fourth annual ICC Awards night and each year it
is gaining in prestige.
"It
is also a pleasure that for the first time we will be presenting
the award for the Associate ODI Player of the Year. We saw
in the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 and at
the ICC Cricket World Cup that the top Associates are capable
of being competitive at ODI level, even against the best sides
and we are committed to promoting cricket beyond its traditional
boundaries."
The
Spirit of Cricket Award went to Sri Lanka. Spirit of Cricket
Award – Sri Lanka. Simon Taufel got the Umpire of the
Year Award.
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