Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards takes ECB awards

Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards have been named, respectively, as the England Men's and England Women's Cricketer of the Year for 2014-2015 by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Lancashire and England U19s right-arm seamer Saqib Mahmood won the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year award, while the England Disability Cricketer of the Year award was presented to Luke Sugg from the England Visually Impaired team.

All four players were honoured at a dinner held in the Long Room at Lord's and were recognised for their outstanding performances in all formats of the game since May 2014.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: "These awards once again highlight the sheer breadth of individual talent across our different England teams and there was fierce competition for the trophies in all four categories."

Members of the cricket media voted that Root's exceptional contributions with the bat for England during this period should earn him the nod ahead of the others on the short-list - James Anderson, Moeen Ali and Gary Ballance.

In Tests, Root scored 1135 runs at an average of nearly 95 since the two-match series against Sri Lanka at the start of last summer, including four scores of 149 and above, with a top score of 200 not out against Sri Lanka at Lord's. The Yorkshire batsman also hit three One-Day International centuries. 

Root told Sky Sports News HQ: "I've really enjoyed being out there and being able to contribute to the team. From a tough trip in Australia to be able to come back into the side and get a few scores together has been really nice. The key now is to kick on and really keep doing what I have been doing.

"I think you have got to try and keep it as simple as possible and I have tried to adapt my game to all three formats. The transition between all three becomes easier and simpler. There's always a lot more to learn but I am comfortable with the way things are going. I have been lucky to have been in a rich vein of form but I know how quickly that can change. Every time you got out there you want to cash in."     

Root will be vice-captain for the opening Test against New Zeland on Thursday and he added: "It's one of those things that I will have to try and figure out as I do it. If Cookie need any support then I will be in place to hopefully give him some. The most impotnant thing is to try and keep scoring runs because that will help me to progress in the new role."

England captain Edwards claimed the women's award for the second consecutive year. Averaging over 75 in ODIs and nearly 60 in Twenty20 International cricket over the last 12 months, Edwards once again led from the front, as England women secured ODI series victories against India and New Zealand, alongside T20I series wins against South Africa and New Zealand. Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole and Sarah Taylor were the other nominees.

Edwards told Sky Sports News HQ: "I am delighted to win this award, and this year it is even more special. I have had time to reflect on the 200 games I have captained the side. I have very much enjoyed what I have achieved and am very proud too but at the same time I'm really looking forward to the challenges ahead.

"I am just loving what I do and I guess turning professional in the last year has given me a new lease of life. Being able to dedicate my time to my cricket has given me a better balance. It has meant  I have been able to go out there and be carefree and score lots of runs for England."

Mahmood was named EDP Cricketer of the Year after a season which saw him make his England U19 debut and show great consistency in all forms of the game. Mahmood recently signed his first professional contract and beat off competition from his Lancashire team-mate Haseeb Hameed, Hampshire’s Brad Taylor and Warwickshire’s Aaron Thomasson to win the accolade.

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Batsman Sugg was the stand-out England Disability Cricketer of the Year for 2014-2015, after scoring over 500 runs, including four centuries, at the 2014 Blind Cricket World Cup in South Africa. His efforts helped England to reach the semi-final stage of the competition. 

It was third-time lucky for Sugg, who said: "It's probably one of the greatest honours of my career so far. I have been a runner-up a couple of times in the past so to finally win it caps a great year for me. I have to thank my team-mates for all their support." 

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