LG ICC Awards 2010

Bengaluru: Sachin Tendulkar had a great year with the most coveted cricket award in recent times ‘The Sir Garfield Sobers Cricketer of the Year’ Award as the Master Blaster glittered bright amidst a galaxy of players at the LG ICC Awards on Wednesday night.

The Little Master became the 2nd Indian to win the award after Dravid bagged it in 2004. After scoring 1,000 Test runs this year besides becoming the first and the only man to score a double hundred in ODI cricket against South Africa at Gwalior, Tendulkar scored another double at the awards function as he also won the ‘LG People’s Choice Award.’

When asked about getting the award, Sachin smiled and said: “Better late than never.” Always the team-man, Tendulkar said: “This is also a reflection of what we have achieved as a team. Over the last one year we have played in some important games like the one at Mohali yesterday where Laxman and Ishant showed a lot of character.”

The Indian team had a lot more to cheer about as Virender Sehwag, with 1,282 runs in the game’s longer version, was adjudged the ‘Test Cricketer of the Year’ and M.S. Dhoni was named the skipper of a World Test XI. “Last year, Gautam Gambhir won this award and I was inspired by it” Sehwag said.

Bishan Singh Bedi was inducted into the ‘ICC Hall of Fame’ along with Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner and former England women’s cricketer Rachael Heyhoe Flint. The event went off on a rousing note as ICC President Sharad Pawar raised his voice a notch and said: “The ICC will not allow Test cricket to die.” The night then went smooth in a medley of tunes as ‘ODI Player of the Year’ A.B. de Villiers performed with his band.

List of awardees:

Sir Garfield Sobers Cricketer of the Year: Sachin Tendulkar (India)

LG People’s Choice Award: Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Shelley Nitschke (Australia)

ODI Player of the Year: A.B. de Villiers (South Africa)

Test Captain of the Year: M.S. Dhoni (India)

Test Player of the Year: Virender Sehwag (India)

Spirit of Cricket: New Zealand

Emerging Player: Steven Finn (England)

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)

Associate and Affiliate Player: Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)

Umpire of the Year: Aleem Dar (Pakistan)

Tags: Cricket, ICC Awards, India, Indian Sports, LG People's Choice Award, M.S. Dhoni, Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sports, Sports India, Virender Sehwag