Michael Clarke Selected As ICC Test Team Of The Year Captain

Michael Clarke Selected As ICC Test Team Of The Year Captain

Michael Clarke has been rewarded by the ICC for his excellent leadership of Australia.

©REUTERS/Tim Wimborne. Picture Supplied by Action Images

A panel of distinguished former cricketers have chosen Michael Clarke to lead the ICC’s Test team of the year. South Africa’s Dale Steyn is included as the leader of the bowling attack for the fifth successive year, while his countrymen Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis are included for the third year in a row, as is Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara.

The panel selected players based on their performances in Test cricket between 4th August 2011 and 6th August 2012 and was chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd. Other members were Marvan Atapattu, Clare Connor, Carl Hooper and Tom Moody.

That same panel selected a long list of players for the various awards which the ICC will hand out at its annual awards dinner on 15th September in Colombo. That list has now been whittled down to a shortlist of between four and six nominees for each category after being voted on by a 32-strong committee. 

Among those in the running for the main awards, are Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander for Cricketer of the Year; MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for ODI Cricketer of the Year; and Sarah Taylor and Anisa Mohammed for Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Full shortlists for all of the categories can be found on the ICC website.

ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson commented on the Test team of the year, saying, “Those selected can be justifiably proud of their achievements and well deserving of the recognition they receive as great cricketers of their era. 

“The quality of the Test cricket played over the course of the year has been exceptional and I did not envy the selectors in their task of selecting the best. Congratulations to those who have made it. They make a formidable team.” 

ICC Test team of the year:

Alastair Cook (England)
Hashim Amla (South Africa)
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
Jacques Kallis (South Africa
Michael Clarke (captain, Australia)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)
Matt Prior (wicket-keeper, England)
Stuart Broad (England)
Vernon Philander (South Africa)
Dale Steyn (South Africa)
Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)
12th man: AB de Villiers (South Africa)

© Cricket World 2012