Amla, Philander nominated for ICC awards
Australia's Michael Clarke has been selected as captain of the International Cricket Council's test team of the year and also been shortlisted with South Africans Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara for the International Cricketer of the Year award.
All four have been shortlisted for the test Cricketer of the Year award, while Sangakkara has been nominated along with teammate Lasith Malinga and India's M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli for the ODI player of the year prize.
The shortlists, announced on Thursday, were selected by a 32-member panel featuring media and former players from a period spanning from August 4, 2011 until August 6 this year. The winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy will be announced at a ceremony in Colombo on September 15, ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup.
Paceman Dale Steyn was selected in the ICC test team for the fifth consecutive year, joining fellow South Africans Amla, Philander and Jacques Kallis in the XI. A.B. de Villiers was named as 12th man.
Clarke, who has led Australia's resurgence in test cricket since replacing Ricky Ponting as captain last year, was selected to lead the honourary team which features players from six countries.
Opener Alastair Cook, wicketkeeper Matt Prior and paceman Stuart Broad were selected from England, which recently surrendered the No 1 test ranking to South Africa. Sangakkara was selected to bat at No 3, with West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul at No.6, while Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal was chosen as the spin bowler.
Amla, Kallis and Sangakkara have made the ICC test XI for three consecutive years.
"Those selected can be justifiably proud of their achievements and well deserving of the recognition they receive as great cricketers of their era," ICC chief executive David Richardson said.
Other categories to be decided on September 15 include the best performance in a Twenty20 international - with West Indian Chris Gayle and Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan among those nominated - and emerging cricketer of the year.
CRICKETER OF THE YEAR:
Hashim Amla (SA)
Michael Clarke (AUS)
Vernon Philander (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
TEST CRICKETER OF THE YEAR:
Hashim Amla (SA)
Michael Clarke (AUS)
Vernon Philander (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
ONE-DAY CRICKETER OF THE YEAR:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (IND)
Virat Kohli (IND)
Lasith Malinga (SL)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
WOMEN'S ONE-DAY CRICKETER OF THE YEAR:
Lydia Greenway (ENG)
Anisa Mohammed (WI)
Sarah Taylor (ENG)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)
EMERGING CRICKETER OF THE YEAR:
Doug Bracewell (NZ)
Dinesh Chandimal (SL)
Sunil Narine (WI)
James Pattinson (AUS)
ASSOCIATE AND AFFILIATE CRICKETER OF THE YEAR:
George Dockrell (IRL)
Ed Joyce (IRL)
Kevin O'Brien (IRL)
Paul Stirling (IRL)
Dawlat Zadran (AFG)
TWENTY20 INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR:
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) - 104 not out off 57 balls v Australia
Chris Gayle (WI) - 85 not out off 52 balls v New Zealand
Richard Levi (SA) - 117 not out off 51 balls v New Zealand
Ajantha Mendis (SL) - six for 16 in four overs v Australia
WOMEN'S TWENTY20 CRICKETER OF THE YEAR:
Alyssa Healy (AUS)
Lisa Sthalekar (AUS)
Sarah Taylor (ENG)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)
UMPIRE OF THE YEAR:
Billy Bowden (NZ)
Aleem Dar (PAK)
Kumar Dharmasena (SL)
Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
Simon Taufel (AUS)
Rodney Tucker (AUS)
SPIRIT OF CRICKET AWARD:
Mohammad Hafeez (PAK)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Daniel Vettori (NZ)
AB de Villiers (SA)
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD:
James Anderson (ENG)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Vernon Philander (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
