Pujara is ICC Emerging Player of the Year

India’s Cheteshwar Pujara was adjudged the Emerging Player of the Year while Australian captain Michael Clarke bagged the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award.

The announcement of the 2012 awards was made ahead of the broadcast of the Awards TV show which premieres Saturday in most countries across the globe.

The winners were announced at a programme that was hosted by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who himself has won the Sir Garfields Sobers trophy in 2006 and 2007.

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara was the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year while Pujara, who is being seen as a replacement for Rahul Dravid, claimed his first ever ICC award.

Among other award winners, New Zealand women’s captain Suzie Bates was the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year while Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul’s 5/6 against South Africa earned him the ICC T20I Performance of the Year award.

Ireland’s hard hitting batsman Kevin O’Brien won the Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year award while Englishman Richard Kettleborough got the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year.

For the second year running, England’s Sarah Taylor got the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award while Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena got his second ICC Spirit of Cricket award. Jayawardene had walked without waiting for an umpire’s decision when batting on 91 against New Zealand in Galle in November 2012.

ICC president Alan Isaac congratulated all the winners.

“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,” he said.

The full list of winners is:
ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Michael Clarke (Australia)
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year – Michael Clarke (Australia)
ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year – Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Cheteshwar Pujara (India)
ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year – Kevin O’Brien (Ireland)
ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year – Umar Gul (Pakistan)
ICC T20I Women’s Cricketer of the Year – Sarah Taylor (England)
ICC Spirit of Cricket Award – Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka)
ICC Umpire of the Year (winning the David Shepherd Trophy) – Richard Kettleborough
LG People’s Choice – MS Dhoni

File Photo  : AFP