Michael Clarke was named International Cricket Council (ICC) cricketer of the year yesterday, with the Australia captain also bagging the Test player of the year award after a stellar season with the bat.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, who won both the honors last year, has been named one-day international (ODI) cricketer of the year, the ICC announced in a statement.
Promising India top-order batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara, was named ICC emerging cricketer of the year.
“I was very surprised, to be honest, I think probably because there are so many guys who are playing so well around the world at the moment,” Clarke said on the Cricket Australia Web site.
Clarke was the world’s leading run-scorer in the voting period, which included the team’s 4-0 defeat in India and 3-0 Ashes loss in Britain.
“I’d swap it for the team to have success, that’s for sure,” said Clarke, who has led from the front as Australia inched closer to regaining the urn by racing to a 2-0 lead in the ongoing return Ashes series.
Clarke amassed 1,559 runs in the voting period, averaging 70-plus with the help of five hundreds, two of which were double-centuries.
Richard Kettleborough of England won the top umpire’s award, while New Zealand captain Suzie Bates was named the women’s ODI cricketer of the year.
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