Virat Kohli wins Sir Sobers Trophy

Dubai: Team India captain Virat Kohli received the Sir Garfield Trophy for Cricketer of the Year and he was also named the ICC ODI cricketer of the Year. His Australian counterpart Steve Smith was crowned ICC Test cricketer of the Year, cricket’s world body announced on Thursday.

“It means a lot to me to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC cricketer of the Year 2017 and also ICC ODI Player of the Year. I won that back in 2012 also, but this is the first time I’m winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and it’s a huge honour for me.

It’s probably the biggest award we have in world cricket and two Indians getting it back-to-back makes it more special, last time it was Ash (Ravichandran Ashwin)now I’m getting it so I’m really, really honoured and I want to thank ICC for recognising all the hard work that we all put in for our respective sides. And, I want to congratulate all the other winners also”, Kohli said in a video message on ICC’s Twitter handle.

Kohli scored 2203 Test runs at 77.80 (eight 100s), 1818 ODI runs at 82.63 (seven 100s), and 299 T20I runs at a strike rate of 153. According to ICC, his ODI career average now stands at 55.74, the highest ever by a batsman from a full member nation. Kohli was also named captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year.

In the nominations for ODIs, Kohli was placed nominated alongside Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan and his own teammate Rohit Sharma. Smith claimed the Test Player of the Year honour after scoring 1875 runs in 16 matches at an average of 78.12, with eight hundreds and five 50s.

Smith, meanwhile, averages 63.75 from 61 Tests, the second-best average of all time for those who have played more than 20 Tests. In the ICC rankings he has climbed to 947 points, just 14 shy of Don Bradman' high watermark of 961. Smith beat off competition for the from last year's winner Ashwin, who took 111 wickets at 25.87, Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored 1,914 runs, and Ben Stokes, who hit 1,000 runs at 40.00 and took 35 wickets at 27.68.

This is the first instance since 2013 that the ODI Cricketer of the Year award has been won by a non-South African, with Quinton de Kock receiving the accolade for 2016 and AB de Villiers winning it in 2014 and 2015. Among other awards, Yuzvendra Chahal's incredible haul of 6/25 against England in Bengaluru last year, was named as Twenty20 International performance of the year. Chahal was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series for his performance -- the best by an Indian bowler in T20I history, and the third-best of all time.

He is behind only Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis, who took 6/8 and 6/16 against Zimbabwe and Australia respectively.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan was adjudged ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year after taking 60 wickets in 2017 – a record for an associate player in a calendar year -- and 43 in ODIs, also a record.

Among others, Pakistan quick Hasan Ali was named the Emerging Cricketer of the Year after he helped Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy in June, while Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was named Associate Cricketer of the Year.

English women cricketer Anya Shrubsole bagged the ICC Spirit of Cricket award while South African umpire Marais Erasmus was awarded the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year. Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2017 win over arch-rivals India in June was adjudged the ICC Fans Moment of the Year. The Sarfraz Ahmed-led Men-in-Green thrashed India by 180 runs to bag the title at The Oval in London.