Clarke named captain of ICC Test team

Australia's Michael Clarke has been selected as captain of the International Cricket Council's Test team of the year and also been shortlisted with South Africans Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara for the International Cricketer of the Year award.

All four have been shortlisted for the Test Cricketer of the Year award, while Sangakkara has been nominated along with teammate Lasith Malinga and India's M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli for the ODI player of the year prize.

This year’s LG ICC Awards includes 11 individual prizes, including the LG People’s Choice Award and features the new ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year and ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year awards.

The long-lists of nominations were made by a five-man ICC selection panel chaired by former West Indies captain and current chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee Clive Lloyd. The panel also includes former international players Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu , Clare Connor of England, Carl Hooper of West Indies and Tom Moody of Australia.

The shortlists, announced Thursday, were selected by a 32-member panel featuring media and former players from a period spanning from August 4, 2011 until August 6 this year. The winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy will be announced at a ceremony in Colombo on September 15, ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup.

Paceman Dale Steyn was selected in the ICC Test team for the fifth consecutive year, joining fellow South Africans Amla, Philander and Jacques Kallis in the XI. A.B. de Villiers was named as 12th man.

Clarke, who has led Australia's resurgence in Test cricket since replacing Ricky Ponting as captain last year, was selected to lead the honorary team which features players from six countries.

Opener Alastair Cook, wicketkeeper Matt Prior and paceman Stuart Broad were selected from England, which recently surrendered the No. 1 Test ranking to South Africa. Sangakkara was selected to bat at No. 3, with West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul at No.6, while Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal was chosen as the spin bowler.

Amla, Kallis and Sangakkara have made the ICC Test XI for three consecutive years.

"Those selected can be justifiably proud of their achievements and well deserving of the recognition they receive as great cricketers of their era," ICC chief executive David Richardson said.

Other categories to be decided on September 15 include the best performance in a Twenty20 international — with West Indian Chris Gayle and Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan among those nominated — and emerging cricketer of the year.


The ICC Test Team of the Year is (in batting order):
 
Alastair Cook (Eng)
Hashim Amla (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Michael Clarke (Aus, captain)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)
Matt Prior (Eng – wicketkeeper)
Stuart Broad (Eng)
Saeed Ajmal (Pak)
Vernon Philander (SA)
Dale Steyn (SA)
12th Man – AB de Villiers (SA)

Short-lists of nominees (in alphabetical order)
 
Individual Awards
 
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year
Hashim Amla (SA)
Michael Clarke (Aus)
Vernon Philander (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
 
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year
Hashim Amla (SA)
Michael Clarke (Aus)
Vernon Philander (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
 
ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year
MS Dhoni (Ind)
Virat Kohli (Ind)
Lasith Malinga (SL)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
 
ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year
Lydia Greenway (Eng)
Anisa Mohammed (WI)
Sarah Taylor (Eng)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)
 
ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year
Doug Bracewell (NZ)
Dinesh Chandimal (SL)
Sunil Narine (WI)
James Pattinson (Aus)
 
ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year
Kevin O’Brien (Ire)
George Dockrell (Ire)
Ed Joyce (Ire)
Paul Stirling (Ire)
Dawlat Zadran (Afg)
 
ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) – 104no (57b, 12x4, 5x6) v Australia, Pallekele, 6 August 2011
Chris Gayle (WI) – 85no (52b, 7x4, 5x6) v New Zealand, Lauderhill, 30 June 2012
Richard Levi (SA) – 117no (51b, 5x4. 13x6) v New Zealand, Auckland, 22 February 2012
Ajantha Mendis (SL) – 4-1-16-6 v Australia, Pallekele, 8 August 2011
 
ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year
Alyssa Healy (Aus)
Lisa Sthalekar (Aus)
Sarah Taylor (Eng)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)
 
David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year
Billy Bowden
Aleem Dar
Kumar Dharmasena
Richard Kettleborough
Simon Taufel
Rodney Tucker
 
ICC Spirit of Cricket
Mohammad Hafeez (Pak)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Daniel Vettori (NZ)
AB de Villiers (SA)
 
LG People’s Choice Award
James Anderson (Eng)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Vernon Philander (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)
 
 

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