West indies top batswoman and Jamaican sensation Stafanie Taylor had to settle for the runner-up spot behind England’s wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor, in the race for the 2014 ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award. The ceremony was held on Friday, November 14.
Australia captain Meg Lanning won the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year ahead of India’s strong woman Mithali Raj with Taylor (WI) finishing down the pack. The ICC female Spirit of Cricket Award went to Katherine Brunt of England.
Fellow Windies male cricketer Dwayne Bravo was named as the # 7 batsman in ICC ODI Team of the Year, which was captained by MS Dhoni of India.
Toast of several top awards on the night was Australia paceman named winner Mitchell Johnson who copped the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
Johnson is only the second player after compatriot Ricky Ponting to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy twice.
Johnson said, “This is something that I’ll be able to look back on in time when my career is over and be exceptionally proud of.”
During the voting period between 26 August 2013 and 17 September 2014, Johnson claimed 59 Test wickets at an average of 15.23, with best bowling figures of seven for 40 runs against England in Adelaide last December. In ODIs, Johnson claimed 21 wickets in 16 games.
Johnson previously won this award in 2009, Ponting won back-to-back awards in 2006 and 2007. Other winners include Rahul David (2004), Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff (2005), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Jonathan Trott (2011), Kumar Sangakkara (2012) and Michael Clarke (2013).
Johnson is also the third Australian after Ponting (2006) and Michael Clarke (2013) to win the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award. Johnson has been joined on the winners’ list by South Africa’s AB de Villiers, who was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, and England’s Gary Ballance, who claimed his first-ever ICC award after being named the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year.
Other winners on the night were Australian opener Aaron Finch, whose 156 runs off 63 balls against England, has won him the ICC T20I Performance of the Year award, Scotland’s Preston Mommsen, who won the ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year award.
Richard Kettleborough of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires won the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year for the second consecutive year.
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