Ashwin, Shami only Indians in ICC Test, ODI Team of Year

Dubai, Dec 2: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and seamer Mohammed Shami were the only Indians to feature in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test and One-Day International (ODI) teams of the year 2015, respctively, announced here on Wednesday.

Ashwin is the highest wicket-taker of 2015 with 55 scalps, ahead of England pacer Stuart Broad (51). The Tamil Nadu spinner, who had five scalps in the first innings, returned with figures of 7/66 in the second innings, to help hosts beat South Africa by 124 runs in the third Test and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series recently. But he was been named the 12th man of the Test side. Shami has been included in the first 11 of the ODI team.

English Test skipper Alastair Cook was named the captain of the Test side that also includes two other Englishmen in Stuart Broad and Joe Root. This is the fifth time since 2009 that Broad has been selected in the ICC Test team of the year, having previously been included in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014. For Cook, this is his fourth selection and his second as captain, having achieved that feat in 2013.

Steven Smith is one of three Australian players selected alongside opener David Warner, for the second successive year, and pace bowler Josh Hazlewood in the Test team. There are also three Pakistan players in the team: Younis Khan, wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, and leg-spinner Yasir Shah. New Zealand duo Trent Boult and Kane Williamson make up the starting team, with Ashwin as the 12th man.

On the other hand, South Africa ODI skipper AB de Villiers was selected in the ODI team of the year for the fourth time in five years and for the first time as captain. He is one of three Protean players selected alongside Hashim Amla (also selected in 2013) and Imran Tahir.

Kumar Sangakarra, who recently retired from international cricket, has been selected as wicket-keeper and earns his fourth nomination (2011, 2012 and 2013) and is named alongside Sri Lankan team-mate Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was also selected in 2009, 2011 and 2013.

Smith was also named in the ODI team along with 2015 World Cup’s player of the tournament compatriot Mitchell Starc. Trent Boult gained his debut nomination in the ODI team of the year alongside his New Zealand team-mate Ross Taylor. Bangladesh’s 20-year-old left-arm pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman was also named in the ODI team.

“I would like to congratulate all the players for their selection in the Test and ODI teams of the year. It is an achievement for each of them to be proud of and a recognition for their good performances in the qualifying period,” former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble, chairman of the ICC Awards Selection Panel said in a release.

ICC Test Team of the Year 2015: David Warner, Alastair Cook (captain), Kane Williamson, Younis Khan, Steven Smith, Joe Root, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Trent Boult, Yasir Shah, Josh Hazlewood, Ravichandran Ashwin.

ICC ODI Team of the Year 2015: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Hashim Amla, Kumar Sangakkara (wicket-keeper) AB de Villiers (captain), Steven Smith, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami, Mitchell Starc, Mustafizur Rahman, Imran Tahir, Joe Root. (IANS)