Chanderpaul gets top cricket honour
Friday, 12 September 2008
DUBAI, Sept 11 (AP): West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and South Africa paceman Dale Steyn received the top honours at the International Cricket Council awards Wednesday.
Chanderpaul received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year, and Steyn became the first bowler to win the Test Player of the Year award.
The 34-year-old Chander-paul, the top-ranked batsman in Test cricket, saved West Indies on several occasions with his battling displays.
The Guyanese scored 819 runs at an average of 91.0, including three centuries, in eight tests. Chanderpaul did well in one-day internationals, too, accumulating 598 runs in 13 matches with an average of 74.75.
Steyn took 86 wickets at an average of 18.10 in 14 Tests. No other bowler took more than 58 wickets in the same period.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was also up for both awards.
Other award recipients included India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (ODI Player of the Year), Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis (Emerging Player of the Year), and Australian umpire Simon Taufel, who won Umpire of the Year for the fifth successive time in the five-year history of the awards.
Also, India's Yuvraj Singh received the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year for his remarkable feat of hitting six sixes in one over.
Steyn said he did not even know he was nominated until last Friday, when the South Africa returned from its tour of England.
"This is completely unexpected, a pleasant surprise, and I am sure it will take some time to sink in," said Steyn.
"I don't like to set long-term goals, but now that I have got one (award), it would be a nice goal to add a few more in the future."
One of the most popular winners was umpire Taufel "Like the players, we umpires also have to prepare hard for matches. Umpiring is a very mental job," he said.
Yuvraj said he will always have fond memories of hitting six consecutive sixes against England at last year's World Twenty20 tournament but he hoped he could be more consistent.
"This is great and I am very happy. But this was last year and I am aware that my form has not been good in recent times. This award does make up for some of the disappointments," Yuvraj said.
The ICC Awards 2008 winners:
Cricketer of the Year: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies
Test Player of the Year: Dale Steyn, South Africa
ODI Player of the Year: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India
Emerging Player of the Year: Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka
Associate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate, Netherlands Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Yuvraj Singh, India
Women's Player of the Year: Charlotte Edwards, England
Spirit of Cricket: Sri Lanka
Umpire of the Year: Simon Taufel, Australia.
Chanderpaul received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year, and Steyn became the first bowler to win the Test Player of the Year award.
The 34-year-old Chander-paul, the top-ranked batsman in Test cricket, saved West Indies on several occasions with his battling displays.
The Guyanese scored 819 runs at an average of 91.0, including three centuries, in eight tests. Chanderpaul did well in one-day internationals, too, accumulating 598 runs in 13 matches with an average of 74.75.
Steyn took 86 wickets at an average of 18.10 in 14 Tests. No other bowler took more than 58 wickets in the same period.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was also up for both awards.
Other award recipients included India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (ODI Player of the Year), Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis (Emerging Player of the Year), and Australian umpire Simon Taufel, who won Umpire of the Year for the fifth successive time in the five-year history of the awards.
Also, India's Yuvraj Singh received the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year for his remarkable feat of hitting six sixes in one over.
Steyn said he did not even know he was nominated until last Friday, when the South Africa returned from its tour of England.
"This is completely unexpected, a pleasant surprise, and I am sure it will take some time to sink in," said Steyn.
"I don't like to set long-term goals, but now that I have got one (award), it would be a nice goal to add a few more in the future."
One of the most popular winners was umpire Taufel "Like the players, we umpires also have to prepare hard for matches. Umpiring is a very mental job," he said.
Yuvraj said he will always have fond memories of hitting six consecutive sixes against England at last year's World Twenty20 tournament but he hoped he could be more consistent.
"This is great and I am very happy. But this was last year and I am aware that my form has not been good in recent times. This award does make up for some of the disappointments," Yuvraj said.
The ICC Awards 2008 winners:
Cricketer of the Year: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies
Test Player of the Year: Dale Steyn, South Africa
ODI Player of the Year: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India
Emerging Player of the Year: Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka
Associate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate, Netherlands Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Yuvraj Singh, India
Women's Player of the Year: Charlotte Edwards, England
Spirit of Cricket: Sri Lanka
Umpire of the Year: Simon Taufel, Australia.