BBC Sport cricket

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Related BBC sites

Page last updated at 13:02 GMT, Thursday, 19 August 2010 14:02 UK

Graeme Swann added to Cricketer of the Year contenders

Graeme Swann
Swann celebrates the wicket of Wahab Riaz during the third Test with Pakistan

Graeme Swann has been belatedly added to the International Cricket Council's contenders for player of the year.

The original list of 16 featured no England players, but ICC chairman Clive Lloyd told BBC Sport Swann's omission on Wednesday had been an "oversight".

The off-spinner's absence had caused an outcry, after he took 49 Test wickets at 27.55 and 28 one-day wickets at 23.28 during the qualification period.

Other names on the list include Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar.

There are five South Africans - Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel, plus Indians Mahendra Dhoni and Virender Sehwag.

606: DEBATE
Seabiscuit III

Australian quintet Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson, plus Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori complete the line-up.

Seamer Harris had played just two Tests in the qualification period, while Swann's efforts included six five-wicket hauls in an innings and one 10-wicket performance in a match.

Lloyd, who chaired a five-man ICC panel to draw up the long list for Cricketer of the Year, said the failure to nominate Swann had been an honest mistake.

Lloyd, who was joined by ex-players Angus Fraser, Matthew Hayden and Ravi Shastri, plus former England coach Duncan Fletcher, explained: "It was a genuine oversight on the part of the committee as Graeme fully deserved to be nominated in this category.

"Graeme, during the voting period, produced some very strong performances which puts him alongside the other top performers. On behalf of the selection panel, I apologise for this oversight."

Fraser defended the original decision when he was questioned by former England captain Michael Vaughan during Phil Tufnell's Cricket Show on Radio 5 live, but admitted Swann was "unlucky".

The England spinner claimed his 100th Test wicket when he caught and bowled Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf on day two of the third Test at The Oval, having earlier taken the scalps of Wahab Riaz and Salman Butt.

Swann has also been nominated for the Test Player of the Year award, along with team-mate James Anderson, while England trio Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan and Eoin Morgan are all in contention for the Emerging Player prize.



Print Sponsor


see also
Swann signs new Trent Bridge deal
18 Aug 10 |  Nottinghamshire


related bbc links:

related internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites