Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq was his country’s lone representative among the nominees for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year Award.
The middle-order batsman was also nominated in the Test Player of the Year Award category. Hashim Amla, Zaheer Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and AB de Villiers are among several other leading cricketers who have been nominated for both the prestigious awards.
Other Pakistanis to have won nominations in various categories include Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal for the One-Day International (ODI) Player of the Year Award, Azhar Ali and Adnan Akmal for the emerging player category, and Bismah Maroof for the women’s cricketer of the year award.
Pakistan umpire Aleem Dar, who won last year’s Umpire of the Year Award, will again be competing for the prestigious award, along with Asad Rauf.
This year’s ICC Awards include 10 individual prizes and also feature the selection of the Test and One-Day International Teams of the Year and the award to the side that has adhered most to the Spirit of Cricket.
In addition, five cricketers have been nominated for the People’s Choice Award, which include Jonathan Trott, MS Dhoni, Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakkara and South Africa’s Hashim Amla.
The long-lists of nominations were made by a five-man selection panel, which included Clive Lloyd, Mike Gatting, Danny Morrison, Paul Adams and Zaheer Abbas. The award ceremony is due to be held on September 12 in London.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 11th, 2011.
ICC award nominees
Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy):
Hashim Amla (RSA), James Anderson (ENG), Ian Bell (ENG), Stuart Broad (ENG), Alastair Cook (ENG), Rahul Dravid (IND), Jacques Kallis (RSA), Zaheer Khan (IND), Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI), Andrew Strauss (ENG), Graeme Swann (ENG), Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Chris Tremlett (ENG), Jonathan Trott (ENG), AB de Villiers (RSA), Shane Watson (AUS)
Test Player of the Year:
Hashim Amla (RSA), James Anderson (ENG), Ian Bell (ENG), Stuart Broad (ENG), Alastair Cook (ENG), Rahul Dravid (IND), Jacques Kallis (RSA), Zaheer Khan (IND), Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK), Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Ishant Sharma (IND), Harbhajan Singh (IND), Dale Steyn (RSA), Graeme Swann (ENG), Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Chris Tremlett (ENG), Jonathan Trott (ENG), AB de Villiers (RSA), Shane Watson (AUS)
ODI Player of the Year:
Hashim Amla (RSA), Michael Clarke (AUS), MS Dhoni (IND), Gautam Gambhir (IND), Mohammed Hafeez (PAK), Mahela Jayawardene (SRI), Zaheer Khan (IND), Virat Kohli (IND), Lasith Malinga (SRI), Munaf Patel (IND), Saeed Ajmal (PAK), Shakib Al Hasan (BAN), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI), Virender Sehwag (IND), Yuvraj Singh (IND), Tim Southee (NZL), Dale Steyn (RSA), Graeme Swann (ENG), Jonathan Trott (ENG), AB de Villiers (RSA), Shane Watson (AUS).
