Clarke is ICC Cricketer of the Year

Cricket365
December 13, 2013

Australia captain Michael Clarke was on Friday announced as the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and was also named as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.

The announcement was made ahead of the broadcast of the LG ICC Awards 2013 TV show which premieres on Saturday (14 December) in most countries across the globe. The show will be hosted by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting who won the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy in 2006 and 2007, ICC Test Cricketer of the Year in 2006 and was appointed captain of ICC's ODI Team of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Clarke was earlier named in the ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year in Mumbai on 3 December. In the same event, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was revealed as the LG People's Choice award winner.

Clarke was joined on the winners' list by Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, who was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, and India's Cheteshwar Pujara, who claimed his first-ever ICC award after being named the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year.

Also joining Pujara on the winners list for the first time were New Zealand captain Suzie Bates, who won the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year award, Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul, whose five for six against South Africa won him the ICC T20I Performance of the Year award, Ireland's Kevin O'Brien, who won the Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year award, and Richard Kettleborough of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, who won the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year.

England's Sarah Taylor clinched the ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year award for the second year in a row, while Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardena won his second ICC Spirit of Cricket award, this time for walking without waiting for an umpire's decision when batting on 91 against New Zealand in Galle in November 2012.

ICC President, Alan Isaac, said: "I'd like to congratulate all of the winners announced today, who are all highly deserving of their awards. It's been a fantastic year of cricket and I think a special congratulation is needed for Michael Clarke, who claimed two awards this evening, including of course the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year."