St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board has sent congratulations to the two West Indian players who won awards at the ICC Annual Awards ceremony on Saturday night.
During the gala event at the Water’s Edge in Sri Lanka, Sunil Narine, the off-spinner was named ICC Emerging Player of the Year and allrounder Stafanie Taylor, won ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year.
In a message on behalf of the Board of Directors of the WICB, President Dr. Julian Hunte, praised Narine, who started playing at the international level less than a year ago, and the dominant Taylor, who was named the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year at the previous ICC Awards Ceremony.
"In just a short time Sunil has come on the scene and has demonstrated his immense ability as a leading spin bowler. He has been successful in all three formats of the game and is a deserving recipient of the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award," Dr. Hunte said.
"We want urge him to use this as a stepping stone to great things as he looks set to play a crucial role in the future development of West Indies cricket. Last year the West Indies also won this award – through Devendra Bishoo – so this shows the young talent in the region is blossoming," Dr. Hunte added.
Commenting on Taylor’s win, Dr. Hunte said: "For the second year in a row Stafanie has dominated the women’s game and it was clear she would win the prize of ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year. She has done remarkably well for West Indies leading the team to series wins over India and Sri Lanka earlier this year as well as in the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifiers in Bangladesh last year. She continues to demonstrate why she is the Number 1 player in the women’s game and we salute her for her commitment and dedication to West Indies cricket and personal and professional development."
Two other West Indian players were also nominated for awards. Chris Gayle was on the shortlist for the T20 Performance of the Year, while Anisa Mohammed was on the shortlist for Women’s ODI Player of the Year. Also on the night, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was acknowledged for his selection on the Test Team of the Year.