Prolific Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara and fiery Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson were in line for a rare double as cricketer of the year after a shortlist of nominees was announced on Wednesday.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson announced the shortlists for the 2014 awards, with the winner to be announced on November 14.
During the voting period of August 26, 2013 and September 17, 2014, the 2009 winner Johnson claimed 59 wickets in eight Tests at an impressive average of 15.23.
Sangakkara, who won this prestigious award in Colombo in 2012, finished as the leading run-getter during the same period with 1,502 runs in 11 Tests.
Since the start of the ICC awards in 2004, no cricketer has won it twice.
The people’s choice award, voted for by fans, was won by India’s fast-rising paceman, the 24-year-old Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
“This award means a lot to me as I didn’t get it only for my individual performance but because of the love and support of my fans,” Kumar told the ICC.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and South Africa’s AB de Villiers are also in the shortlist for cricketer of the year award.
Johnson, Mathews and Sangakkara as well as Australia opener David Warner have also been in contention for the ICC Test cricketer of the year award.
For the ICC one-day cricketer of the year award, South African trio of Quinton de Kock, Dale Steyn and De Villiers will vie with India’s Virat Kohli.
For the ICC women’s cricketer of the year award, two former winners have been shortlisted. These are England captain Charlotte Edwards, winner in 2008, and two-time winner Stafanie Taylor of the West Indies. They are joined by India captain and No 1 ranked batter Mithali Raj and England wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor.
The England duo of Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes, and New Zealand’s pair of Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neeshan have been shortlisted for the ICC emerging cricketer of the year award.
There will be a new winner of the ICC women’s T20 cricketer of the year after the previous two awards were won by England’s Taylor. The players shortlisted this year are Edwards of England, Meg Lanning of Australia, India’s Raj and West Indies’ Taylor.
Alex Hales’ 116 not out against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh 2014, Aaron Finch’s 156 against England in 2103 and Rangana Herath’s figures of five wickets for three runs against New Zealand in the IWorld T20 have earned them nominations for the ICC Twenty20 International performance of the year award.
Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari, and the Scotland duo Calum MacLeod and Preston Mommsen will fight for the best player award from the Associates and Affiliates teams.
The ICC also announced its Test and one-day teams for 2014, with Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews as captain for the longer format while MS Dhoni earned captain honours for the limited overs team.
ICC Test squad: Angelo Mathews (captain, Sri Lanka), David Warner (South Africa), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Kumar Sangakkar (Sri Lanka)a, AB de Villiers (South Africa), Joe Root (England), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Stuart Broad (England), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka), Tim Southee (New Zealand), Ross Taylor(12th man, New Zealand).
One-day squad: MS Dhoni (captain, India), Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan), Quinton de Kock (South Africa), Virat Kohli (India), George Bailey (Australia), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), James Faulkner (Australia), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Mohammad Shami (India), Ajantha Mendis (India), Rohit Sharma (12th man, India).
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