Amla, Philander nominated for ICC awards

Australias Michael Clarke has been selected as captain of the International Cricket Councils test team of the year and also been shortlisted with South Africans Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander and Sri Lankas Kumar Sangakkara for the International Cricketer of the Year award.All four have been shortlisted for the Test Cricketer of the Year award, while Sangakkara has been nominated along with teammate Lasith Malinga and Indias M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli for the ODI player of the year prize.The shortlists, announced Thursday, were selected by a 32-member panel featuring media and former players from a period spanning from Aug. 4, 2011 until Aug. 6 this year. The winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy will be announced at a ceremony in Colombo on Sept. 15, ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup.Paceman Dale Steyn was selected in the ICC test team for the fifth consecutive year, joining fellow South Africans Amla, Philander and Jacques Kallis in the XI. A.B. de Villiers was named as 12th man.Clarke, who has led Australias resurgence in test cricket since replacing Ricky Ponting as captain last year, was selected to lead the honorary team which features players from six countries.Opener Alastair Cook, wicketkeeper Matt Prior and paceman Stuart Broad were selected from England, which recently surrendered the No. 1 test ranking to South Africa. Sangakkara was selected to bat at No. 3, with West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul at No.6, while Pakistans Saeed Ajmal was chosen as the spin bowler.Amla, Kallis and Sangakkara have made the ICC test XI for three consecutive years.Those selected can be justifiably proud of their achievements and well deserving of the recognition they receive as great cricketers of their era, ICC chief executive David Richardson said.Other categories to be decided on Sept. 15 include the best performance in a Twenty20 internationalwith West Indian Chris Gayle and Sri Lankas Tillakaratne Dilshan among those nominated and emerging cricketer of the year.