DUBAI: On a night of mixed fortune for Indian cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the ODI Player of the Year, Yuvraj Singh won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award but pacer Ishant Sharma failed to win the Emerging Player honour at the annual ICC awards function here.
West Indies' Mr. Dependable Shivnarine Chanderpaul was adjudged Cricketer of the Year after a fine performance in Tests as well limited over cricket while South African fast bowler Dale Steyn earned the Test Cricketer of the Year Award.
India ODI captain Dhoni beat off tough competition from team-mate Sachin Tendulkar, Australian fast bowler Nathan Bracken and Pakistan stalwart Mohammad Yousuf to take the prestigious award.
Yuvraj was deservedly honoured for his stupendous six sixes in an over off Englishman Stuart Broad in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa last year.
Ishant lost out to Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Medis who took the Emerging Player of the Year Award.
During the voting period, Dhoni played 39 ODIs and scored 1,298 runs at an average of 49.92 and at a rate of 82.46 runs per 100 balls faced. In that time, he hit a century and nine fifties making sure he led his team from the front.
Dhoni also effected 62 dismissals (46 catches and 16 stumpings) as wicketkeeper, which is almost twice as many as the next best, albeit having played more matches than any other keeper.
He is currently ranked number one in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.
