rediff.com
Johannesburg, Oct 2: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive time at a glittering award ceremony in Johannesburg on late Thursday night.
While, the flamboyant batsman was also named captain of both ICC Test and ODI team, Test opener Gautam Gambhir too got top billing as he bagged the Test player of the year award.
The ODI team, led by Dhoni also has dashing Virender Sehwag and charismatic Yuvraj Singh, whereas the Test team comprises of batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir.
Dhoni played 24 ODIs in the voting period from which he scored 967 with nine fifties at an average of 60.43, the strike rate being 86.63.
The Indian skipper beat strong competition from his own two team-mates in Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, and West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Earlier, Australian right-arm fast bowler Peter Siddle on Thursday was named the Emerging Player of the Year at a glittering International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards ceremony in Johannesburg.
The 24-year-old Siddle, who made his Test debut against India at Mohali in October last year, has taken 49 wickets in his 12-match-old Test career.
His 5/21 against England at Leeds in the Ashes series in August this year was his best so far.
The most coveted Cricketer of the Year Award, however,went to Australian Mitchel Johnson who had a phenomenal year with both the bat and the ball in Test and ODI crickets in the past year. Johnson beat Dhoni, Gambhir and England captain Andrew Strauss in a four-way race for the ICC Cricketer of the Year Award.
Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan was chosen for the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award for his outstanding performance of 96 from just 57 balls against West Indies in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup in England on June 19.
Ireland's William Porterfield was given the Associate and Affiliate Player of 2009, while New Zealand got the Spirit of Award.
Aleem Dar got Umpire of the Year Award.
The awards were given for the performances between August 13, 2008 and August 24, 2009.
The nominations were made by a five-member selection panel headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd. The panel also included former cricketers Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar, Bob Taylor and Stephen Fleming.