Johannesburg, Oct 2 (IANS) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named ODI player of the year while his teammate Gautam Gambhir was adjudged as the Test player of the year at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards here Thursday night.
The coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year 2009 went to Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson. Johnson has become the sixth player after India's Rahul Dravid (2004), Andrew Flintoff of England and South Africa's Jacques Kallis (joint winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting of Australia (2006 and 2007) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008) to take the top award.
Johnson fought off stiff competition to take the award from fellow short-list nominees Gambhir and Dhoni of India as well as England captain Andrew Strauss.
Dhoni, who has also been named captain of the World ODI and Test team, skipped the awards ceremony at the Sandton Convention Centre following India's early exit from the ongoing Champions Trophy.
Dhoni beat off tough competition from teammates Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag as well as West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul to take the prestigious award.
During the voting period, Dhoni played 24 ODIs and scored 967 runs at an average of 60.43 and at a rate of 86.63 runs per 100 balls faced. During that time he hit nine fifties making sure he led his team from the front.
Gambhir faced tough competition from Mitchell Johnson of Australia, Sri Lanka's Thilan Samaraweera and England captain Andrew Strauss to claim the first ICC award of his career. Gambhir also made it to the ICC Test Team of the Year
During the 12-month voting period, Gambhir put in some remarkable performances with the bat, making 1,269 runs with an impressive average of 84.60 in the eight Test matches he played. He scored five centuries and four half-centuries during the period.
'It's been a dream run for me. I never thought it could be like this but life has changed for me and I am very happy. As a unit we have played very well and I am just glad to contribute to the overall success of the team,' said the 27-year-old Gambhir after receiving the award from legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar.
An ecstatic Johnson after receiving the award said: 'I'm really blown away. I am just surprised to be up here. It has been a great 12 months for our side. We have lost some wonderful players in recent years and we have been rebuilding with some young guys in the team and we have played together well.'
Johnson's compatriot and fast bowler Peter Siddle won the Emerging Player of the Year and Sri Lanka's opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year for of his 96 not out off 57 balls against the West Indies at the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.
England's Claire Taylor was won the Women's Cricketer of the Year award while Irishman William Porterfield was selected as the Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year.
Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar was named Umpire of the Year. Dar, 41, was voted to this award by the 10 Full Member captains as well as the eight-member Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees based on his decision statistics over the last 12 months.
'I am very pleased to get this award. Thanks to PCB and ICC as well as my friends and family and of course my wife, who I have to leave for long periods of time. Normally I am quite calm and so the pressure is not big for me. It is important to stay cool and if you make a mistake you can't let it get to you. You have to concentrate all the time,' Dar said.
The New Zealand cricket team was named as the recipients of the Spirit of Cricket Award. It is the second time New Zealand has won this award, the first being in 2004.
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