Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin were on Wednesady nominated for ICC Men’s Player of the Decade Award while Mithali Raj is in the fray among women.
Kohli, in fact, featured in all five men’s categories for his incredible run in the last 10 years.
The governing body announced that for the first time the fans can vote for winners across categories, including the Sir Garfield Sobers and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Awards, which celebrate the best overall player from the men’s and women’s game over the past decade.
The fan vote will make up 10% of the voting, while votes from an expert panel will make up the remaining 90%. Fans will provide 100% of the vote for the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade, from a list of the past winners since 2011. The voting opens at 1300 hours GST on Wednesday 25th November and closes at 2230 hours GST on Wednesday 16th December, as per ICC.
Kohli and veteran off-spinner Ashwin are the two Indians among seven men nominated. Besides the Indian duo, Joe Root (England), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Steve Smith (Australia), AB de Villiers (South Africa), and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) are the other contenders in this category.
In the overall category in the women’s game, Mithali is among six in contention, alongside Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry. Jhulan Goswami is in contention for ODI cricketer of the decade.
In the men’s ODI category, former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and run-machine Rohit Sharma also found a place alongside Kohli, Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Mitchell Starc (Australia), de Villiers and Sangakkara.
Kohli and Rohit also featured in the men’s T20I category, which also included Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Aaron Finch (Australia), Malinga and Chris Gayle (West Indies).
Kohli has also been nominated for Tests and ICC spirit of cricket categories.
The final winners will be decided on the basis of the number of votes a player receives.
The complete list of nominees for the ICC awards of the decade are as follows:
Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in men’s international cricket (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) during the performance period:
- R Ashwin (India)
- Virat Kohli (India)
- Joe Root (England)
- Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
- Steve Smith (Australia)
- AB de Villiers (South Africa)
- Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in women’s international cricket (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) during the performance period:
- Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
- Meg Lanning (Australia)
- Ellyse Perry (Australia)
- Mithali Raj (India)
- Sarah Taylor (England)
- Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)
ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in men’s Test cricket during the performance period:
- James Anderson (England)
- Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)
- Virat Kohli (India)
- Joe Root (England)
- Yasir Shah (Pakistan)
- Steve Smith (Australia)
- Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in men’s ODI cricket during the performance period:
- MS Dhoni (India)
- Virat Kohli (India)
- Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
- Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
- Rohit Sharma (India)
- Mitchell Starc (Australia)
- AB de Villiers (South Africa)
ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in women’s ODI cricket during the performance period:
- Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
- Jhulan Goswami (India)
- Meg Lanning (Australia)
- Ellyse Perry (Australia)
- Mithali Raj (India)
- Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)
ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in men’s T20I cricket during the performance period:
- Aaron Finch (Australia)
- Chris Gayle (West Indies)
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
- Virat Kohli (India)
- Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
- Rohit Sharma (India)
- Imran Tahir (South Africa)
ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in women’s T20I cricket during the performance period:
- Sophie Devine (New Zealand)
- Deandra Dottin (West Indies)
- Alyssa Healy (Australia)
- Meg Lanning (Australia)
- Ellyse Perry (Australia)
- Anya Shrubsole (England)
ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in men’s Associate cricket during the performance period:
- Richie Berrington (Scotland)
- Peter Borren (Netherlands)
- Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)
- Paras Khadka (Nepal)
- Calum MacLeod (Scotland)
- Assad Vala (PNG)
ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade – The best overall performer in women’s Associate cricket during the performance period:
- Kathryn Bryce (Scotland)
- Sarah Bryce (Scotland)
- Natthakan Chantham (Thailand)
- Sterre Kalis (Netherlands)
- Chanida Sutthiruang (Thailand)
- Sornnorin Tippoch (Thailand)
ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade – An action, moment, gesture, or decision on the field of play in international cricket during the performance period which best reflects the Spirit of Cricket:
- 2011 Winner – MS Dhoni (India)
- 2012 Winner – Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)
- 2013 Winner – Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
- 2014 Winner – Katherine Brunt (England)
- 2015 Winner – Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
- 2016 Winner – Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
- 2017 Winner – Anya Shrubsole (England)
- 2018 Winner – Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
- 2019 Winner – Virat Kohli (India)
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