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Pathan named Emerging Player of the Year
Irfan Pathan was named the Emerging Player of the Year at the inaugural ICC Awards at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday.
The promise shown by Indian pace bowler Irfan Pathan has won him the Emerging Player of the Year award at the gala ICC Awards ceremony in London on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old picked up the award from among some of international cricket's most talented players. The young Pathan thanked his family and friends. On receiving the award he said: "My family has supported me a lot as well as my coaches, right throughout my career. Everyone has helped me and I'd like to thank them all."
At the awards ceremony, which was attended by about 1,000 guests, Malcolm Speed, Chief Executive of the ICC called Pathan a "gifted" player and said: "On behalf of the ICC and the cricket community, we congratulate Irfan Pathan on winning the Emerging Player of the Year award. He is a highly gifted player and along with the other nominees in this category, all have very bright futures in cricket."
Pathan received 100 votes while Pakistan's Yasir Hameed had 75 votes.
Australia's Michael Clarke finished in third place with 45 votes while Pakistan's Umar Gul, at fourth place, got 21 votes. During the 12-month voting period (August 1, 2003 to July 31, 2004), Pathan played five Test matches and 18 One-Day Internationals. Pathan's 36 ODI wickets was more than double the tally of any of his colleagues in the Emerging Player of the Year category, with Australia's Michael Clarke (16 wickets) the next highest wicket-taker in limited-over matches during the year.
Nominees for the Emerging Player of the Year Award must have been under 26-years-of-age at the start of the voting period (August 1, 2003), and have played no more than five Test matches and/or 10 One-Day Internationals before the start of the voting period.
The ICC Awards, presented by Hyundai in association with FICA, recognise the game's most outstanding players of the past 12 months.
