Date:09/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090957332000.htm

Sport

Dhoni nominated for two ICC awards

Special Correspondent

— Photo: AP

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a front-runner for the ICC Player-of-the-Year Award.

NEW DELHI: Indians may have lost out on the nominations for some of the coveted ICC awards, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Ishant Sharma were among the nominees in various categories of the awards to be presented in Dubai on Wednesday.

As per the list of nominees announced by ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat here on Monday, Dhoni is among the front-runners for the ODI Player-of-the-Year award. Sachin Tendulkar is also in contention for the honours.

Dhoni has also been nominated in the newly introduced Twenty20 International Performance of the Year category. Other nominees in this category are Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Brett Lee.

Ishant has been nominated along with Stuart Broad, Ajantha Mendis and Morne Morkel in the Emerging Player of the Year category. Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Mahela Jayawardene and Dale Steyn have been nominated in two main categories — Cricketer of the Year and Test Player of the Year. Clive Lloyd, Greg Chappell, Shaun Pollock, Sidath Wettimuny and Atahar Ali Khan form the panel of jury. Performances from August 9, 2007 to August 12, 2008 were considered before the names were shortlisted.

The shortlisted names:

Cricketer of the Year: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Mahela Jayawardene, Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn.

Test Player of the Year: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn.

ODI Player of the Year: Nathan Bracken, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Yousuf.

Emerging Player of the Year: Stuart Broad, Ajantha Mendis, Morne Morkel and Ishant Sharma.

Associate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate, Alex Obanda, Niall O’Brien and Thomas Odoyo.

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Chris Gayle, M.S. Dhoni, Brett Lee and Yuvraj Singh.

Woman Player of the Year: Nicola Browne, Charlotte Edwards, Lisa Sthalekar and Claire Taylor.

Spirit of Cricket: Bangladesh, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Umpire of the Year: Mark Benson, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Rudi Koertzen and Simon Taufel.