India dominated ICC awards function
Indian players took away the major honours at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) award function which was held in Bangalore.
The awards were given on votes system, which was decided by former cricketers, commentators and the referees and umpires of the elite panel.
India’s ever green Little Master flew away with the Player of the Year award thanks to his rich vein of form in the last twelve months, which saw him scoring almost two thousand runs if his stats are combined for both ODIs and Test.
He became the only batsman in the history of cricket to score a double century in One day International matches. He has not been making records instead he is setting benchmarks, which look to remain forever.
The batting maestro from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 became only the seventh player to have won the Garfield Sobers Trophy. The Player of the Year award has been named after the West Indian great Sir Garry Sobers.
Tendulkar got the nod over his team mate Virender Sehwag, one of the most dangerous batsmen to have played the game, and Graeme Swann, arguably the best spinner in the World presently after the retirements of Shane Warne and Murlitharan.
But one player in the final category, who could also have won this award, was http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757’s Hashim Amla. The middle order batsman of South Africa has excelled both in One day matches and Test matches playing as an opener or in the middle order, but he was
still overlooked.
Sachin also won the People’s Choice award. But this remains quite confusing because there were a number of strong candidates, West Indians Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, India’s own http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482,
New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori and South Africa’s http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dale-c52110 Steyn. But Sachin got the better of all these deserving candidates and this remains a contentious issue.
Former Indian skipper, Sachin admitted that he is thrilled by winning the two trophies as recognizing someone’s performances always brings pleasure. He further said that he feels honoured and happy.
One would not have been surprised with the results, considering the large contingent of Indian and English players in the ICC list of Test and One day International (ODI) teams of the year. But it shows that the two power houses of cricket are dominating
the World of cricket at the moment.
However, Tendulkar, missed out on two major awards, Test and ODI player of the year. South African, AB de Villiers received the honour of being the ODI Player of the Year where as another Indian, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virender-Sehwag-c95429, was given the Test Player of the Year trophy.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir could have easily made the final cut in the two teams of the year but due to their spot-fixing scandal they were banished. West Indian Chanderpaul was also overlooked for the Test team of the year.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has led India to their number one Test ranking, was selected to lead the ICC's Test team of the year over Australia’s Ricky Ponting, Endland’s Andrew Strauss and South African Graeme Smith. The other team members
included Dhoni’s fellow Indian opener Virender Sehwag, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Sachin Tendulkar, Swann, Simon Katich, Dale Steyn, James Anderson and Doug Bollinger.
Aussie leader Ricky Ponting, was chosen as captain of the One Day side of the year that included Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887, Paul Collingwood Tendulkar, Dhoni, Daniel Vettori, Stuart Broad, Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris.
Thanks to Mohammad Amir’s omission, England’s Steven Finn ran away with emerging player of the year trophy. Simon Taufel once again was beaten by Aleem Dar of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, who received the title of being the Umpire of the Year for the second year running.
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