THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Kumar Sangakkara was named world cricketer of the year and the former Sri Lanka captain received two more prizes in the International Cricket Council awards on Saturday.
He was also named test cricketer of the year and accepted for a second straight year the people’s choice award.
Sangakkara hit 1,444 runs in 14 tests this year and compiled 1,457 runs in 37 one-day internationals. He was nominated with South Africa batsman Hashim Amla and seamer Vernon Philander and Australia captain Michael Clarke.
"It’s a great honour to win that award," Sangakkara said of the cricketer of the year title. "I have seen the cricketers who have won it. I don’t think I am in the same class as (Sachin) Tendulkar and (Jacques) Kallis and everyone else. I think I have to a long way to get into that league."
India batsman Virat Kohli was named ODI player of the year after maintaining an impressive average of 66, scoring 1,733 runs in 31 ODI matches including eight centuries.
He was voted ahead of his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sangakkara and Sri Lanka seamer Lasith Malinga.
Offspinner Sunil Narine became the second straight West Indian to receive the award for the emerging player of the year after legspinner Devendra Bishoo bagged the title last year.
Narine picked up 12 wickets in three tests and 28 wickets in 15 ODIs.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena won the David Shepherd Award for the best umpire.
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the Spirit of Cricket award while Ireland’s left-arm spinner George Dockrell was named the best player among the ICC’s non-full member teams.
West Indies’ Stefanie Taylor was named the women’s ODI cricketer of the year, and England’s Sarah Taylor won the award for the women’s Twenty20 player of the year.