Kohli is ODI player of year

Cricket: Sangakkara wins Cricketer of the Year and Test player awards

India’s Virat Kohli was on Saturday rewarded for his dream run in the last 12 months as he was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year, while Kumar Sangakkara walked away with three honours, including the Cricketer of the Year, in the ICC annual awards function here.

The Sri Lankan veteran was also named the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year, besides winning the People’s Choice Award. During the period under consideration, the 23-year-old Kohli, played 31 ODIs and compiled 1,733 runs at an outstanding average of 66.65, including eight centuries and six half-centuries.

His highest score of 183 came against Pakistan in the Asia Cup on March 18.
“I think I have tried to keep things as simple as possible and it’s worked for me on the field. This year has been a learning curve along the way from the seniors in the team. It’s been an all-round effort and I’m very happy to have won this award,” Kohli said.

“It’s always nice to be recognised by the ICC and it’s a great feeling and it’s the first time I’ve won one of these awards and it feels great,” the Delhi lad added.

In the 50-over format, Kohli has so far scored 3886 runs from 90 matches at an average of 51.81.

In 14 Tests last year, Sangakkara scored 1,444 runs at an average of 60.16, including five centuries and five half-centuries. In addition, he played 37 ODIs, hitting 1,457 runs at 42.85, with three centuries and nine half-centuries. He also effected 42 dismissals in the ODIs.

“This is an amazing honour and I’ve seen the people who have won it before me and the nominees too, to be named alongside them is wonderful,” Sangakkara said.

New Zealand's Daniel Vettori won the Spirit of Cricket Award. During New Zealand's first Test against Zimbabwe in November, 2011, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe required 64 runs with five wickets in hand to win the Test. Regis Chakabva played a ball from the New Zealand spinner to mid-on. However, during his follow through Vettori came in the way of Malcolm Waller, at the non-striker's end, preventing the Zimbabwean from running.

Vettori immediately held up his hand to the wicketkeeper, Reece Young, to indicate there had been a collision, accidentally which hindered the non-striker. As this happened, Chakabva was too far down the wicket to get back to his crease in time. The bails were whipped off at the striker's end but New Zealand elected not to appeal because of Vettori's admittance to blocking Waller's path.

Winners all

* Cricketer of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
* Test player: Sangakkara
* ODI player: Virat Kohli
*  Emerging player: Sunil Narine
*  Best T20 performance: Richard Levi (South Africa)
* Spirit of Cricket: Daniel Vettori
*  ICC Associate player: George Dockrell (Ireland)
*  Umpire: Kumar Dharmasena
* Women's Cricketer: Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)
* LG people's choice: Sangakkara