Guptill caps debut year with World XI selection
BLACKCAPS top order batsman Martin Guptill has capped a stunning debut year with his selection in the International Cricket Council's World One Day International Team of the Year for 2009.
Guptill, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Wednesday [30 September] made his One Day International debut against the West Indies at Auckland in January, scoring 122 not out - becoming the first New Zealander to score a century on ODI debut.
Guptill has played 17 One Day Internationals, scoring 613 runs at an average of 47.15. His tally to date includes five half-centuries - the most recent against England in the ICC Champions Trophy at Johannesburg earlier this week.
In the latest ICC One Day International batting rankings Guptill has jumped 24 places and is now ranked number 40.
See the ICC release below for details of the World ODI Team of the Year announcement.
ICC World ODI Team of the Year announced in Johannesburg
Dhoni named as captain for second year running
The ICC today announced its ODI Team of the Year, as chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd.
The announcement was made at the LG ICC Awards celebration at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg. Presented in association with FICA, the ICC Awards recognise the best international players of the past 12 months.
The ICC World ODI Team of the Year is (in batting order):
Virender Sehwag (Ind)
Chris Gayle (WI)
Kevin Pietersen (Eng)
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL)
Yuvraj Singh (Ind)
Martin Guptill (NZ)
MS Dhoni (Ind, captain, WK)
Andrew Flintoff (Eng)
Nuwan Kulasekara (SL)
Ajantha Mendis (SL)
Umar Gul (Pak)
12th men: Thilan Thushara (SL)
Six countries are represented in the 12-man line-up and just one player – Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India – also appeared in the World ODI Team of the Year in 2008. Dhoni is named as captain of the team for the second year running.
Chairman of the LG ICC Awards selection panel, Clive Lloyd said: “It was a very difficult task in selecting this year’s ODI team but looking at the line-up I feel it has great balance and depth. It would be a formidable team.”
Lloyd was joined on the panel by former India captain Anil Kumble, former Pakistan all-rounder Mudassar Nazar, former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming and ex-England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor. Statistics were available as a guide but were not necessarily the overwhelming factor in the choices made.
The ICC ODI Team of the Year was one of two teams selected by the ICC selection panel along with the Test line-up. There were also eight individual prizes given at this year’s LG ICC Awards.
The Selection Panel
The LG ICC Awards selection panel was charged with two main tasks: providing a long-list of nominations to the 25 members of the voting academy to cast their votes in the individual player award categories and, using their experience, knowledge and appreciation of the game, select the ICC World Test and ODI teams.
Clive Lloyd (chairman)
One of the most recognisable and respected figures in world cricket, Lloyd captained the West Indies to the first two ICC Cricket World Cups (in 1975 and 1979) and played a crucial role in the overall success of the team during the 1970s and early 1980s. As a big, hard-hitting, left-handed batsman he scored more than 7,500 runs in 110 Tests, including 19 centuries, and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1971. When he retired from playing, he remained involved as a coach, manager and ICC match referee and is currently the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee.
Anil Kumble
Regarded as one of India’s greatest wrist-spinners, Anil Kumble took 619 Test wickets in his career, to stand behind only Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan in the all-time list. Kumble played in 132 Test matches and in 1999, in New Delhi, he took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan. In December 2001 in Bangalore, he became India’s first spinner to take 300 Test wickets and in August 2007 in England he gained his first Test century that had taken him 17 years and 118 matches to achieve. Kumble captained India in its first home series victory over Pakistan in 27 years at the end of 2007 and retired from international cricket in October.
Mudassar Nazar
Former Pakistan opening batsman, Mudassar played in three consecutive ICC Cricket World Cups and is one of only seven Pakistan players to have done the ODI double of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets. He also holds the record, alongside Javed Miandad, for the highest Test partnership for any wicket for Pakistan – 451 against India at Hyderabad (Sind) in 1982, and sits seventh in the all-time Test run-scorers’ list for Pakistan. Mudassar has served as director of the Nairobi Cricket Academy as well as Pakistan's National Cricket Academy. His experience with academy cricketers has now brought him into his newest role as one of the coaches at the ICC’s Global Cricket Academy in Dubai.
Stephen Fleming
Former New Zealand captain, Fleming represented his country for 15 years and was one of the Black Caps’ most successful leaders. He was the first New Zealander to pass 7,000 Test runs, a landmark reached during his final series against England in 2008. During his last innings, in Napier, he did just enough to lift his career average over 40. Fleming captained New Zealand for 80 Test matches and is second only to Australia’s Allan Border in the record books for the most matches as captain for Tests, while he still maintains the record for the most amount of one-day internationals captained, with a success rate of 48 per cent. He retired from international cricket in 2008.
Bob Taylor
England’s wicketkeeper for 57 Test matches, Taylor amassed a total of 174 dismissals in his career under the leadership of Ray Illingworth. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1977 and represented England between 1971 and 1984, Taylor played his first-class cricket with English county side Derbyshire for 28 years and earlier this year was appointed as president of the club.
Based on the period between 13 August 2008 and 24 August 2009, the LG ICC Awards 2009 – presented in association with FICA – take into account performances by players and officials. The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its sixth year and this year it is being held in Johannesburg to coincide with the ICC Champions Trophy 2009. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007) and Dubai (2008).