11/09/2008 12:38 PM
Australia's domination of Test cricket was not recognised with individual honours at the ICC Awards in Dubai on Wednesday night.
Despite being the No.1 ranked nation in Test cricket, selectors could only find a place for one Australian - Brett Lee - in the XI for the ICC's World Test Team of the Year.
South Africa and Sri Lanka both had three players picked in the Test side named by a five-man selection panel led by West Indies great Clive Lloyd and including former Australian captain Greg Chappell.
Stuart Clark was named 12th man in the side which will be captained by South African Graeme Smith and includes West Indies run machine Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was named the Cricketer of the Year.
Kumar Sangakkara was named the team's gloveman despite only assuming wicket-keeping duties in one Test during the 12-month window.
Australians were also overlooked for the individual awards but had five players - Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson - named in the World ODI Team of the Year. Ponting will captain the one-day side.
The Test Player of the Year Award went to South African paceman Dale Steyn, who Australian audiences will see close hand this summer, while the one-day gong was awarded to Indian gloveman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis was named the Emerging Player of the Year after bursting onto the international scene with 26 wickets in his first three Tests.
World Test Team of the Year: Graeme Smith (SA, captain), Virender Sehwag (India), Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Kevin Pietersen (England), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, wicketkeeper), Brett Lee (Australia), Ryan Sidebottom (England), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Stuart Clark (Australia, 12th man)
World ODI Team of the Year: Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Ricky Ponting (Australia, captain), Yunus Khan (Pakistan), Andrew Symonds (Australia), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India, wicketkeeper), Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Brett Lee (Australia), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Nathan Bracken (Australia), Salman Butt (Pakistan, 12th man)
Test Player of the Year Award: Dale Steyn (South Africa)
Player of the Year: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India)
Women's Cricketer of the Year: Charlotte Edwards (England)
Emerging Player of the Year: Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)
Associate ODI Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Yuvraj Singh (India)
Spirit of Cricket Award: Sri Lanka
Umpire of the Year Award: Simon Taufel