Devastating Australia pace bowler Mitchell Johnson and timeless Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara are both in line to win their second Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year after the nominees for the LG ICC Awards 2014 were announced in Dubai yesterday.
The finest competititors across all formats of the game were revealed in 11 categories as the governing body attempted to reward their exceptional displays in the voting period between August 26, 2013 and September 17, 2014.
The ICC Test and One-Day International Teams of the Year containing 12 names as chosen by a select panel headed by the ICC’s Cricket Committee chairman Anil Kumble were also announced.
“Players do not look for the awards. But at the end of the year when such things happen, and there is a buzz around certain players and teams, then you want to be part of that,” the former India captan said.
“It is never easy to pick 12 players from a huge pool of performing players. There will always be a debate. Even within your own teams, it is hard to pick an 11 from 15. That is a challenge.
“This will encourage a healthy debate. In the circumstances we had, I think we have done a pretty decent job.”
Batsman Virat Kohli was the only Indian male nominated for an award by the panel, with fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking home the LG People’s Choice Award as voted by fans. “This award means a lot to me as I didn’t get it only for my individual performance but because of the love and support of my fans,” said Kumar.
Half of the nominees for the prestigious Cricketer of the Year trophy were Sri Lankan, with leading run-getter for the voting period Sangakkara – who struck 1,502 in 11 Tests and 1,046 in 26 ODIs – joined by captain Angelo Mathews. Competition for the pair comes from 2009 awardee Johnson who claimed 59 wickets in eight Tests at an average of 15.23, plus South Africa’s AB de Villiers who averaged 54.8 in Tests and 60 in ODIs.
The 2012 Cricketer of the Year winner Sangakkara was again joined by Mathews and Johnson in the Test Cricketer of the Year category, with Australia batsman David Warner the other option.
Kohli is in the running for a second ODI Cricketer of the Year trophy, alongside a trio of South Africans that includes De Villiers, 21-year-old wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and no1 ranked Test bowler Dale Steyn.
A group of 32 high-profile cricket personalities from around the world selected the shortlists from a long-list of nominees chosen by a five-person ICC selection panel.
Mathews was selected as captain of the Test Team of the Year, with Steyn selected for a record seventh successive year. The ODI Team of the Year is led by India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a fifth occasion, with eight of the players featuring for the first time.
These include Australia’s George Bailey, Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez and West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo.
The winners will be announced on November 14.
