Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli are in the running for the ‘ODI Cricketer of the Year’ trophy, while veteran Sachin Tendulkar has been nominated for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ in the short-list announced today for the ninth LG ICC Annual Awards here.
No Indian features in the ‘Test Cricketer of the Year’ and ‘Cricketer of the Year’ short-list, which is a reflection of the slump that the team went through last year when it was whitewashed by England and Australia during away series.
South African duo of Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander, Australia captain Michael Clarke and Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara have been nominated for the top honour.
“The votes have now been casted by the independent 32-person academy and these four men are the ones in the running to receive the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year at a glittering ceremony in Colombo on September 15,” the ICC said in a statement.
In addition, all four cricketers are also short-listed for the ‘Test Cricketer of the Year’.
Sangakkara is also in contention for the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award along with Dhoni, Kohli, as well as team-mate Lasith Malinga.
The Lankan is also nominated in the People’s Choice category along with Tendulkar, South Africans Jacques Kallis and Vernon Philander and English pacer James Anderson.
The Twenty20 International (T20I) Performance of the year sees Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan short-listed alongside West Indies’ Chris Gayle, South Africa’s Richard Levi and Dilshan’s compatriot, Ajantha Mendis.
Meanwhile, in the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year short-list, ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, Stafanie Taylor, has been nominated alongside fellow West Indian Anisa Mohammed, as well as England pair of Sarah Taylor and Lydia Greenway.
Both Taylors also feature in the short-list for ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year and are joined on that list by Australia pair Alyssa Healy and Lisa Sthalekar.