Nominations for ICC Awards 2010

ICC has made the nominations for this year's ICC cricket award for different categories. Players like Amla, Sehwag, Dhoni, Tendulkar, Bollinger are nominated for the top categories. The nomination is made by a panel chaired by Clive Lloyd also includes former international players Angus Fraser, Matthew Hayden, Ravi Shastri and Duncan Fletcher.

The nominees for different categories are:

Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), Doug Bollinger (Aus), Michael Clarke (Aus), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Ryan Harris (Aus), Mitchell Johnson (Aus), Jacques Kallis (SA), Morne Morkel (SA), Ricky Ponting (Aus), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Dale Steyn (SA), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), Daniel Vettori (NZ), AB de Villiers (SA), Shane Watson (Aus)

Test Player of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), James Anderson (Eng), Mohammad Asif (Pak), Doug Bollinger (Aus), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Tamim Iqbal (BD), Mahela Jayawardene (SL), Jacques Kallis (SA), Simon Katich (Aus). Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Thilan Samaraweera (SL), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Dale Steyn (SA), Graeme Swann (Eng), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), Shane Watson (Aus)

ODI Player of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), Doug Bollinger (Aus), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Tillekeratne Dilshan (SL), Ryan Harris (Aus), Michael Hussey (Aus), Jacques Kallis (SA), Ricky Ponting (Aus), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), AB de Villiers (SA), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Shane Watson (Aus), Cameron White (Aus)

Emerging Player of the Year: Mohammad Amir (Pak), Umar Akmal (Pak), Tim Bresnan (Eng), Steven Finn (Eng), Shafiul Islam (BD), Ravindra Jadeja (Ind), Virat Kohli (Ind), Angelo Mathews (SL), Eoin Morgan (Eng), Pragyan Ojha (Ind), Tim Paine (Aus), Wayne Parnell (SA), Kemar Roach (WI), Steven Smith (Aus), Paul Stirling (Ire), David Warner (Aus)

Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year: Ashish Bagai (Can), Richie Berrington (Scot), Muddassar Bukhari (Scot), Tom Cooper (Neth), Ryan ten Doeschate (Neth), Trent Johnston (Ire), Kevin O'Brien (Ire), Mohammad Shahzad (Afg), Samiullah Shenwari (Afg), Paul Stirling (Ire)

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Suleiman Benn (WI)- 4-2-6-4 v Zimbabwe, Port of Spain, 28 Feb 2010; Deandra Dottin (WI Women) - 112 not out (45b, 7x4, 9x6) v South Africa Women, Basseterra, 5 May 2010; Chris Gayle (WI) - 98 (66b, 5x4, 7x6) v India, Bridgetown, 9 May 2010; Michael Hussey (Aus) - 60 not out (24b, 3x4, 5x6) v Pakistan, St Lucia, 14 May 2010; Mahela Jayawardene (SL) - 100 (64b, 10x4 4x6) v Zimbabwe, Guyana, 3 May 2010; Mahela Jayawardene (SL) - 98 not out (56b 9x4, 4x6) v West Indies, Bridgetown, 7 May 2010; Nuwan Kulasekera (SL) - 3-1-4-3 v New Zealand, Lauderhill, 23 May 2010; Ryan McLaren (Aus) - 3-0-19-5 v West Indies, North Stand, 19 May 2010; Brendon McMcllum (NZ) - 116 not out (56b, 12x4, 8x6) v Australia, Christchurch, 28 Feb 2010; Eoin Morgan (Eng) - 85 not out (45b, 7x4, 5x6) v South Africa, Johannesburg, 13 Nov 2009; Nehemiah Odhiambo (Zim) - 4-0-20-5 v Scotland, Nairobi, 4 Feb 2010; Ellyse Perry (Aus Women) - 4-0-18-3 v New Zealand Women, Barbados, 16 May 2010; Suresh Raina (Ind) - 101 (60b, 9x4, 5x6) v South Africa, St Lucia, 2 May 2010; Darren Sammy (WI) - 3.5-0-26-5 v Zimbabwe, Port of Spain, 28 Feb 2010

Women's Cricketer of the Year: Suzie Bates (NZ), Nicola Browne (NZ), Katherine Brunt (Eng), Sophie Devine (NZ), Jhulan Goswami (Ind), Lydia Greenway (Eng), Sarah McGlashan (NZ), Shelley Nitschke (Aus), Ellyse Perry (Aus), Laura Poulton (Aus) Mithali Raj (Ind), Gouher Sultana (Ind), Stafanie Taylor (WI)

Umpire of the Year: Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Asoke de Silva, Billy Doctrove, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Daryl Harper, Rudi Koertzen, Asad Rauf, Simon Taufel, Rod Tucker.

Pakistan debutant keeps England at bay

Debutant Zulqarnain Haider kept England at bay with a superb 88 as Pakistan at last restored some pride in the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday. Pakistan at the close of the third day, were 9-291 a lead of 112 and with an outside chance of pulling off what would be an astounding victory.

They would have been in an even better position, but England off-spinner Graeme Swann removed Zulqarnain shortly before stumps on his way to a Test-best haul of 6-60 runs in 36 overs - 20 of them maidens.Pakistan had been dismissed for just 72 -- their lowest total against England - in the first innings, a woeful performance which made Sunday's fightback even more astonishing.

Zulqarnain and Saeed Ajmal put on 115 for the eighth wicket, with the recalled off-spinner making exactly 50 to give him Test-bests with both bat and ball this match after he took 5-82 in England's first innings 251. Ajmal fell shortly before the close caught at slip by Paul Collingwood to end a gutsy 79-ball innings featuring seven fours.

Zulqarnain, who but for the Decision Review System (DRS) would have been out for a king pair, fell when he miscued a drive off Swann to England captain Andrew Strauss at mid-off.

The 24-year-old batted for four-and-a-half hours, facing 200 balls and struck 15 boundaries.

At the close, Swann had surpassed his previous best of five for 54 against South Africa at Durban in 2009 and taken five or more wickets eight times in his 22 Tests.

Umar Gul, batting with a runner after suffering a hamstring injury on Saturday, was nine not out, having smashed the last ball of the day from paceman Stuart Broad for four,and Mohammad Asif 13 not out.

Zulqarnain, in for the dropped Kamran Akmal, had come in at 5-82.

At that stage, Pakistan needing 97 more runs just to avoid an innings defeat that would have left them 2-0 down in this four-match series after their crushing 354-run reverse in the first Test at Trent Bridge last week.

Zulqarnain received sound support from fast bowler Mohammad Aamer (16), who again demonstrated an excellent defensive technique, in a seventh-wicket stand of 52 spanning more than two hours.

England saw off Aamer in the fourth over with the new ball when Broad had him caught at first slip by Strauss.

Zulqarnain went to fifty when he clipped fast bowler Steven Finn through midwicket for a boundary that also meant England would have to bat again as Pakistan finally erased a first innings deficit of 179.

Then Zulqarnain's off-driven four off Swann meant he'd made the highest individual score by a Pakistan batsman this series, surpassing Gul's 65 not out at Trent Bridge.

Swann had gone two whole innings without bowling, such had been the dominance of England's seamers.

He came on with Pakistan 53 for one -- the first time this series the tourists had reached fifty without losing at least six wickets.

Swann bowled Imran Farhat with only his third ball of the match, a superb delivery that pitched outside the left-hander's leg stump and clipped the top of off.

Broad thought he had Zulqarnain, on 18, caught behind but umpire Marais Erasmus was unmoved, with England unsuccessfully referring the South African's not out verdict.

Broad should have dismissed Aamer on one when the 18-year-old was yards out of his ground. But his throw to the bowler's end was way over Swann's head. He then hit Zulqarnain, on 22, with a petulant throw at the end of an over in an incident that could yet lead to Broad facing disciplinary action.

England v Pakistan - player ratings

Andrew Strauss Failed with the bat but that is the peril of facing new ball against such good bowlers. Iffy shot in first innings but got an unplayable delivery in the second. 6/10 Alastair Cook Struggling with technical issues against swinging ball. Tall men tend to struggle with balance and his footwork is a bit out of kilter 5.

Jonathan Trott Undone by a stinker that kept low and bowled him in the second innings but did show the application you need in Test cricket in both knocks. 5 Kevin Pietersen Lack of cricket obvious from the impatient way he approached both innings attempting to dominate without putting in the hard work first. 5

Paul Collingwood Classic dogged innings when England were trouble on first day. Did not contribute in the second innings. Brilliant slip catching throughout. 7 Eoin Morgan Proved he has the Test match technique and temperament with superb first innings hundred. Unlucky to be run out in second innings. 8

Matt Prior
Good counter-attacking century in second innings and showed he is England’s No  1 keeper. Solid performance with the gloves. 7

Graeme Swann
England’s passenger on his home ground through no fault of his own. Played a good cameo in second innings and took some excellent slip catches. 6

Stuart Broad
Bowled a touch loose in the first innings and the non-swing bowlers had to work harder for wickets. Managed some useful time at the crease. 7

James Anderson
Best Test performance for England. Unplayable in swinging conditions, confusing batsmen with ability to bowl inswing and outswing without change of action. 9

Steven Finn
Considerable height gives him bounce even on slow surfaces and Pakistan’s batsmen were unable to cope with his consistent line and length. 7

Pakistan

Salman Butt
Captaincy seems to be affecting his batting with two single-figure scores in the match but was not the only batsman to struggle with swinging ball. 5

Imran Farhat
Experienced player but looks completely out of his depth against England’s new ball bowlers and showed little appetite for application. 3

Azhar Ali
Doesn’t appear to know where his off-stump is. Out to a nervy prod in the first innings and crumbled under pressure in the second. 4

Umar Amin
Another greenhorn in the side. Undone by Finn’s bounce in the first innings and played around his front pad in second, missing an inswinger. 4

Umar Akmal
Has Twenty20 reputation but needs to remember that, in Test matches, there are days when you need to bat more than a few overs. 3

Shoaib Malik
Hung around in both innings but weakness outside off-stump was always going to bring about downfall. His bowling was not threatening. 5

Kamran Akmal
Has anyone had a worse Test? Bagged a pair, dropped two routine catches and missed an easy stumping off Collingwood. 2

Mohammad Aamer
Emerging as a real talent in world cricket. Clever bowler able to swing ball both ways and applied himself with the bat. The new Wasim Akram. 7

Umar Gul
Bowled too short and was punished in first innings but worked out his length in the second innings. Played some fabulous strokes to save follow-on. 6

Danish Kaneria
Woeful performance. Unable to build pressure thanks to too many full tosses and loose balls. Must expect to be dropped for Edgbaston Test. 3

Mohammad Asif
Almost matched Anderson but he lacks an inswinger. It will be interesting to see if his body can sustain him through four Tests in a month. 7

Pakistan's Mohammad Aamer warned over clash with Ricky Ponting

The Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamer was warned about his conduct after clashing with the Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the first day of the Lord's Test yesterday. Aamer was spoken to by the match referee Chris Broad at the close of play after he had collided with Ponting as he celebrated dismissing the Tasmanian for 26.

"Aamer is a young, exciting, talented player full of enthusiasm for this great sport and that is to be celebrated and nurtured," said Broad. "But there are a few things he still has to learn in relation to how to conduct himself on the field of play.

"I told him that when he takes a wicket, he should celebrate with his team-mates rather than getting himself into the personal space of the outgoing batsman. It's a spirit of cricket issue.

"It has happened twice now so we as a playing control team thought it would be sensible for me to have a word with him. He accepted it graciously and undertook to avoid a repeat occurrence. As far as we are concerned the issue is now closed."

Ponting appeared to jut out an elbow as he made contact with Aamer but neither on-field umpire felt the incident warranted any formal action under the ICC Code of Conduct. The umpires Rudi Koertzen and Ian Gould spoke to the Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi at the time and then advised Broad to have a word with Aamer.

Test recall for Malinga

The 26-year-old has been included in a 16-man squad for the three-Test series which starts in Galle on July 18. Malinga, who last played in a Test in November 2007, has been limited to one-day competition over the last two years due to struggles with injury.

Fellow pace bowler Dilhara Fernando also earns a recall into the Test squad but spinner Ajantha Mendis has been left out by the selectors.Instead, 32-year-old slow left-arm orthodox Rangana Herath has been included to compliment the retiring Muttiah Muralitharan and off-spinner Suraj Randiv.

Muralitharan will bring the curtain down on his career in the longest form of the game after the contest in Galle and although Mendis has been labelled as his heir apparent, there is no place in the squad for the 25-year-old.

Sri Lanka's set-up boasts seven specialist batsmen, including 20-year-old Lahiru Thirimanne, who will be hoping for a Test debut. Four seamers are included alongside Muralitharan, Herath and Randiv while all-rounder Angelo Mathews is also expected to be a part of the bowling attack.

The two sides will be competing in their third Test series in three years, with Sri Lanka winning at home in 2008 before India claimed the return series last year. After the first clash in Galle, the series will move on to Colombo where the second and third Tests will be played.

Pakistan have put infighting behind them, says captain Shahid Afridi

Pakistan have solved their disciplinary problems and head into todays first Test against Australia as a united force confident of victory, said the new Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi. The 30-year-old Afridi came out of a four-year Test retirement to pick up the pieces after Pakistan's dismal tour of Australia this year ended in bitter recriminations.

The two previous captains, Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan, were both banned indefinitely for alleged infighting as part of widespread punishments dished out by the Pakistan Cricket Board following the 3-0 Test series whitewash, plus defeats in all six limited-overs internationals.

The PCB later overturned the suspensions handed down to Shoaib Malik and to Younus, who was not selected for the tour of England, while Yousuf retired in protest. Afridi was a controversial replacement as captain, given he has not played Test cricket since 2006 and he received a two-match ICC ban for biting the ball during a one-day international in Perth.

But the 30-year-old believes he has ironed out the unrest and he is confident nothing will derail Pakistan as they enter back-to-back Test series against Australia and England.

"The guys are united," Afridi said today. "I am trying to keep the guys as close as I can. I take them for dinner and the communication problem is not there now.

"We sit together and chat to each other. If they have any problems they can come to me and the coach and share them. It is a difficult job, especially with the different cultures and the different cities but I respect these guys and whatever their problems are I listen and talk to the management.

"They are feeling good playing with my captaincy. I am trying to be a good man-manager."

Pakistan have lost 12 consecutive Test matches to Australia, dating back to 1999, but Afridi believes there has never been a better time to beat the world Test champions.

Australia's captain, Ricky Ponting, confirmed that the wicketkeeper Tim Paine and spinner Steve Smith will both make their Test debuts at Lord's.

Pakistan warmed up for the Tests with two Twenty20 wins over Australia and Afridi said: "Winning in any form of the game keeps morale high. We are confident.

"They don't have the same players like [Shane] Warne, [Glenn] McGrath and [Matthew] Hayden. It is a totally different team. This is a time you can take these guys."

Australia will stick by the same team that played in the drawn two-day game against Derbyshire last week. Ponting confirmed Michael Clarke will continue batting at four – with Mike Hussey coming in at five – right the way through to the Ashes series against England later this year.

Clarke has batted at four just seven times in his 60-Test career and averages only 16.67 in the position, compared with 56 when he comes in at five.

But Ponting said: "I think his game's very well suited higher up the order against the newer ball, more than Hussey's is at the moment. He has been our most consistent player and that is in all conditions around the world.

"He has developed his game over the last couple of years and when guys are playing that well they need to be batting as soon as possible. That is why he has moved up a spot and that is the way it will be, not only for this series but right through the Ashes as well."

Australia were beaten by England at Lord's last year in the second Test of the 2009 Ashes series.

Ponting believes they return to the home of cricket stronger for it and he hopes that experience rubs off on Paine and Smith in particular. "The guys that have been here and done it before will hopefully be better for the experience of last time," he said.

"We will be talking to the young guys about the enormity of the game. There is already enough pressure on them to be worrying about where they are playing and who they are playing in front of. "Playing your first Test is always a special occasion. It is something I have never forgotten 140-odd Test matches later."

Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni shows off his bride

The Indian cricket captain was acclaimed throughout the country for winning the first ICC Twenty20 World Cup trophy in 2007. News of his marriage generated headlines at the weekend.

The media on Wednesday was full of speculation as to where his reception would be and who would be invited. In the event Dhoni and his bride cropped up in Ranchi, in the state of Jharkhand, where he lives.

Dhoni married Sakshi, a 21-year-old management student, on Sunday night in a private ceremony attended by only about 50 people in the city of Dehradun.

His close friends and fellow cricketers Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma all attended amid heavy security.

"Dhoni was really relaxed and having a good time. The couple look very good together and we heard murmurs from girls present at the event that their hearts are broken.

All smiles as Shahid Afridi leads Pakistan to Twenty20 series victory against Australia

Pakistan were a team at each other’s throats until recently making the MCC’s decision to sponsor their series against Australia under the Spirit of Cricket banner almost the ultimate cricketing definition of irony. But after two successive one-sided Twenty20 wins over Australia it is smiles all round for this eclectic bunch of cricketers who appear unified under the captaincy of Shahid Afridi. Afridi is a hyperactive bundle of energy and perhaps it maybe it takes a maverick to lead a team capable of implosion at any moment.

Winning helps to lift the mood and these two performances at Edgbaston have given impetus for a long tour of England. It has also allowed England a glimpse of what they are about to experience and they will be wary - Mohammad Aamer, a 20-year-old left-arm fast bowler in the mould of Wasim Akram, and Umar Gul are two special talents.

Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, said his team had to bat than the night before, but for the second successive match they were bowled out and their highest individual score in this series was only 34. They consistently failed to put together partnerships and the only six they managed last night was by the number 10.

Clarke’s inability to slog poses a problem for Australia and last night they attempted to solve it by moving him up the order to open. He did play one cross batted shot, a pulled four off Shoaib Akhtar, and struck six boundaries in 17 balls but played on trying to cut Aamer.

Clarke had enjoyed tucking into Shoaib, whose travails of the night before continued and after his first six balls last night he had a wretched record of conceding 108 runs in eight overs of twenty20 cricket.

But Shoaib is a proud man and his second spell seemed to galvanise him. He ran in with arms pumping and reached speeds of upto 95mph to prove there may yet be life in his career.

The Australian run chase expired in the middle overs as Afridi and Saeed Ajmal tightened the scoring. Mike Hussey offered a brief glimmer for his team with 26 off 14 balls but was out lbw playing a reverse paddle to a full ball from Gul and despite Dirk Nannes thumping the innings’ only six in the final over Australia were well beaten by the time Tait was the last man out.

Chasing 163 was always a tough ask under greying skies against quick bowlers and Pakistan’s victory was based around handy contributions from the Akmal brothers, Umar and Kamran. But it was Afridi who appropriately hit the biggest shot of the night thumping Tait into the scaffolding at the pavilion end and he appears to be building some useful momentum.