WIndies' Chanderpaul named year's best cricketer

Updated September 11, 2008 12:24:40

Chanderpaul scored 819 runs at an average of 91.00, including three centuries and six fifties. [Getty]

West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been named the International Cricket Council's cricketer of the year, at the annual awards in Dubai.

Chanderpaul fought off competition from Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene, as well as South Africa's Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn to take the top award.

Steyn took the test player of the year award, while India's one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was gonged as the one day international player.

Yuvraj Singh became the inaugural winner of the Twenty20 international performance of the year award and Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka's 23-year-old spin star, was recognised as the emerging player oif 2008.

Six countries were represented in the 12-man ICC Test Team of the Year and three players - England captain, Kevin Pietersen and the Sri Lanka pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan - also appeared in the World Test Team of the Year in 2007.

There were also six countries represented in the ICC one day team of 2008, of which only two - Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar - also appeared in the 2007 side and only one - Brett Lee - made both elevens.

Australian umpire, Simon Taufel, was named as Umpire of the Year for the fifth successive time.

England captain Charlotte Edwards, who last night steered her side to a 4-0 one-day win over India, is this year's women's cricketer of the year.

Netherlands allrounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, was named as the associate player for 2008 and the Sri lankan team won the spirit of cricket award.