Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara was named the Cricketer of the Year besides getting the best Test player honour at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards here Saturday.
Sangakkara also won the People’s Choice prize, an honour he had received last year as well.
In 14 Tests, he compiled 1,444 runs at an average of 60.16, including five centuries and five half-centuries. In addition, he played 37 ODIs, hitting 1,457 runs at an average of 42.85, with three centuries and nine half-centuries. In that time he has also proven himself to be the best ODI wicket-keeper with 42 dismissals.
The voting academy selected Sangakkara ahead of South Africans Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander, as well as Australia’s Michael Clarke.
Sangakkara accepted the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy from ICC president Alan Isaac and was clearly thrilled to follow up on his earlier accolade of being named Test Cricketer of the Year.
“This is an amazing honour and I’ve seen the people who have won it before me and the nominees too, to be named alongside them is wonderful. I admire them greatly and even more so when I looked up at their records on the screen this evening. It’s great to be amongst them but now to receive this honour this evening, is simply fantastic,” he said.
Sangakkara received the Test Cricketer award from batting legend Brian Lara in front of his home crowd.
Other winners on the night included Virat Kohli (one-day player of the year), Sunil Narine (emerging cricketer), Richard Levi (performance of the year), George Dockrell (associate and affiliate player of the year) and Kumar Dharmasena (umpire of the year).
West Indies spinner Narine follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner and fellow West Indies bowler Devendra Bishoo in claiming his award.
Narine was the top choice of the 32-person voting academy, coming out ahead of Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal, Doug Bracewell of New Zealand and Australia’s James Pattinson.
He said: “We’ve a good junior set-up so hopefully the awards keep coming for us. I think this has been the best 12 months for me and I just keep adapting the best as possible. Hopefully I can keep going the best I can and keep competing for the West Indies. I need to digest this (award) and take this one step at time and enjoy every minute that I play.”
South African batsman Levi won the performance of the year in recognition of his 51-ball 117 not out against New Zealand.
On February 19, during the Proteas’ match against New Zealand in Hamilton, Levi smashed his way to 117 not out with a swashbuckling innings that included five fours and 13 sixes.
Upon collecting the award the 24-year-old from Johannesburg said: “I don’t remember much of the innings but I regularly get reminded of it. When any sportsman performs well, with T20 cricket it either comes off or it doesn’t and for me it came off that day.”
