Six New Zealanders nominated for ICC awards

Six New Zealand Cricket identities are in running for the world’s top cricketing honours of 2011.

BLACKCAP fast bowler Tim Southee has been nominated for both the One Day International Cricketer of Year and Twenty20 International Performance of the Year while Hamish Bennett and Kane Williamson have made the list for the Emerging Player award.

In the voting period Tim Southee took 31 ODI wickets at 24.93 and was the third highest wicket taker at the ICC Cricket World Cup with 18 scalps at 17.33 apiece. In three Twenty20 Internationals he took eight wickets at 12.12 with his career best figures of five for 18 against Pakistan earning him a nomination for Twenty20 International Performance of the Year.

Pace man Bennett has played 12 ODI’s since his debut against Bangladesh last October with an impressive bowling average of 21.75. His first year of international cricket included a man of the match performance of 4-16 against Kenya at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Williamson also made an impressive start to his international career striking 108 in his fifth ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka before making 133 in his Test match debut against India at Ahmedabad.

White Fern Sara McGlashan is nominated in the Women’s Cricketer of the Year category. McGlashan played six ODI’s and eight Twenty20 Internationals with her best performance being a match winning 62 against Australia in a Rose Bowl T20 at Invercargill.

New Zealand’s two umpires on the ICC Emirates Elite Panel, Billy Bowden and recent appointee Tony Hill, are both nominated in the umpires category.

New Zealand long-list nominations for the LG ICC Awards 2011:

ODI Player of the Year
Tim Southee

Emerging Player
Hamish Bennett
Kane Williamson

Women’s Cricketer of the Year
Sara McGlashan

Umpire of the Year
Billy Bowden
Tony Hill