10.9.2008

Ajantha Mendis: the stand-out newcomer in world cricket © Getty Images

Sri Lanka's 23-year-old spin sensation, Ajantha Mendis, has won the Emerging Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards ceremony in Dubai.

With his mesmerising brand of spin bowling, Mendis has exploded on to the international scene in recent months. In just three Tests against India in July and August, he claimed an amazing 26 wickets at an average of 18.38, rendering some of the best batsmen in the world strokeless with his unique array of deliveries, including the so-called Carrom ball.

And it wasn't just Tests. During the voting period, Mendis played eight ODIs for Sri Lanka including a victorious Asia Cup campaign, and in the process bagged 20 wickets at an average of just 10.25, making him the stand-out newcomer to top-flight cricket.

Mendis was the top choice of the 25-person Voting Academy, coming in ahead of England's up-and-coming allrounder Stuart Broad, South Africa's fast bowler Morne Morkel and the talented Ishant Sharma of India. Interestingly, all four players in this category's short-list were primarily bowlers.

Accepting his award in Dubai from his Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena, Mendis said: "I am delighted to win the award. It is an honour to play for Sri Lanka and I hope to continue playing for my country for a long time to come."

The Emerging Player of the Year Award was one of eight individual prizes given at this year's ICC Awards. Players eligible for this award must be under 26 years of age at the start of the voting period (August 9, 2007) and have played no more than five Test matches and/or 10 ODIs before the start of the voting period.

For all the individual awards (with the exceptions of the Women's Cricketer of the Year and the Umpire of the Year), a long-list compiled by the selection panel was forwarded to the 25-person Voting Academy made up of former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire and an elite match referee. They voted on a three, two, one basis (with three being the highest value) and the winners emerged.

The selection panel was chaired by West Indies legend Clive Lloyd and included former Australia captain Greg Chappell, recently retired South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock, former Sri Lanka opener Sidath Wettimuny and former Bangladesh batsman Athar Ali Khan.

The ICC Awards 2008 - presented in association with FICA - are based on the 12 months between August 9, 2007 and August 12, 2008. The ICC Awards ceremony is now in its fifth year and this is the first time it has been staged in Dubai, the home of the International Cricket Council. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006) and Johannesburg (2007).

Courtesy - cricinfo