Chanderpaul claims top gong

Chanderpaul: Top award

I am honoured to be given this prestigious award and I am very thankful to God for blessing me with the talent that I have.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul
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West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been named as the 2008 International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year at the annual awards ceremony in Dubai.

The 34-year-old left-hander, a mainstay of his side's batting for over a decade, became the fifth player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, ahead of his three fellow nominees - Mahela Jayawardene, Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn.

During the voting period, Chanderpaul played eight Test matches, scoring 819 runs at an average of 91, including three centuries and six fifties, all of which were against the top seven teams in the world.

"I am honoured to be given this prestigious award and I am very thankful to God for blessing me with the talent that I have," Chanderpaul said upon receiving his award.

Chanderpaul follows India's Rahul Dravid, all-rounders Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis, the joint-winners in 2005, and two-time ICC Cricketer of the Year Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain in taking the award.

Dhoni honoured

India one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also scooped an award as he was named the ICC one-day international player of the year for 2008.

Dhoni beat fellow nominees Sachin Tendulkar, Australia fast bowler Nathan Bracken and Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf to win the award.

During the voting period, Dhoni played 39 ODIs and scored 1,298 runs at an average of 49.92 and at a rate of 82.46 runs per 100 balls faced. In that time he hit a century and nine fifties.

Kevin Pietersen was one of two English players rewarded for a fine 2008 as he made his way into the ICC Test Team of the Year.

Another England captain, Charlotte Edwards, was named Women's Cricketer of the Year.

ICC awards for 2008:

Cricketer of the Year: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)

Test Player of the Year: Dale Steyn (RSA)

ODI Player of the Year: Mahendra Singh Doni (IND)

Emerging Player of the Year: Ajantha Mendis (SRI)

Twenty20 international performance of the year: Yuvraj Singh (IND)

Associate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate (NED)

Women's Cricketer of the Year: Charlotte Edwards (ENG)

Umpire of the Year: Simon Taufel (AUS)

Spirit of Cricket Award: Sri Lanka

ICC Test Team of the Year: Graeme Smith (RSA, capt), Virender Sehwag (IND), Mahela Jayawardene (SRI), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI), Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Jacques Kallis (RSA), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI, wkt), Brett Lee (AUS), Ryan Sidebottom (ENG), Dale Steyn (RSA), Muttiah Muralitharan (SRI). 12th man: Stuart Clark (AUS)

ICC ODI Team of the Year: Herschelle Gibbs (RSA), Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Ricky Ponting (AUS, capt), Younis Khan (PAK), Andrew Symonds (AUS), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (IND, wkt), Farveez Maharoof (SRI), Daniel Vettori (NZL), Brett Lee (AUS), Mitchell Johnson (AUS), Nathan Bracken (AUS). 12th man: Salman Butt (PAK)