Ashwin named ICC Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year

Best is yet to come............

ICC may be living in a different era? To take so much time to processdata and announce the awards.

To say in jest:

In the sea-mail & snail mail era? Slide-rule or abacus era? Marconi's telegraphic era?

Could have gone all the way back into the smoke-signal era? Could've done that too, if Cricket existed in those ages! (Just imagine Ashes type periodic contests between the Pilgrims XI & Red Indian XI during those gold-rush days. Wow!)

That's what comes to my mind. Seeing this definition of a calendar period!

Taking 2016 as a period from Oct 2015 -Sept 2016?

Many readers seem to be assuming that it is for Jan-Dec 2016. hence this light-hearted comment.

the best test batsmen in the world right now are De Villiers, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Virat Kholi. You could now pick the rest.

How do the icc selectors pick an icc test team and omit the best batsman in contemporary cricket Virat Kohli is the world best batsman and he should be included in that team.

This must be the sarcastic cricket awards. No Virat Kohli in the test team. Alastair Cook the captain of test team. No Pakistani player (and yes I am an Indian and fan of India). And Dale Steyn and Adam Voges? And I wonder who is captaining the ODI team?

This selection diminishes the winners' accomplishments.

Well deserved. And this in addition to his useful batting.

Cook voges Bairstow stokes herath and steyn all of these players are really not automatic selection on form. Cook generally had a lean year except for a couple of innings. Voges was a failure and lost his place. Bairstow was ok but nothing special. If the panel was fair sarfraz could have been in place. Stokes made a few scores in England , as for steyn really he has hardly been in the news. Herath is good in Sri Lanka only. Retiring soon. Yasir deserved to be in his place.

Warner not so good in tests in 2016, Voges dropped by Australia. Steve Smith world no 1 batsman, Kohli world no 2, based on 2016 tests. As per the ICC rankings!!! And yet ICC selects Voges and Warner ahead of Smith and Kohli? They ignore their won rankings.

Why not the top 5---Cook, Williamson, Root, Smith, Kohli plus De Kock and Stokes, Ashwin, and three more bowlers including Starc and Rabada?

Was PAK team was excluded ?

  cricfan69444956 on December 24, 2016, 20:16 GMT

Truly deserves it!! Ashwin

I think many didn't notice that time period is from sep15 to sep16. in that time period Warner and voges both deserve their places. Warner scored 250 against NZ in Nov and lots of runs v WI so did Voges.

WHAT A JOKE! Voges at 5 and Smith 12th.

Joke awards!!!! Pak team remained top test team for few months of 2016 and not even one from Pak is featured in the test team, not even Yasir Shah!!!! What a joke!!!!

Wait a second... I just read that Warner had his worst year in his test career "2016 has been Warner's worst year in Test cricket. With just one Test left in the year, he has managed just 604 runs at 35.52; ".. by selecting him into the ICC test team of the year, is ICC saying that there was no opener in any other test playing country who did better than Warner's 604 runs @ 35.52 ? no doubt Warner deserves to be in the ICC ODI team of the year, but does he warrant a place in the ICC Test side with this average and only one test hundred to his name "Warner's only Test hundred of 2016 so far came in the first Test of the year, the washed-out SCG Test against West Indies in January. "....What's going on ICC selection committee folks ?????

Ashwin will go down has one of the best all round cricketers of all time

Ashwin is the best allrounder playing now. Sobers was the best allrounder of all time adn the second best cricketer of all time and Kallis was the best allrounder and the best batsman over the past 25 years.

@MUJŢABA CHOUDHARÝ ON DECEMBER 24, 2016, 9:47 GMT Imad Wasim Who is he?

  Mujţaba Choudharý on December 24, 2016, 9:47 GMT

What the Hell is Jadeja doing in Odi team of the year when Imad Wasim deserved to be .. . Its very injust .

It is a great honor, congratulations Ashwin, you really deserve it.

Very undeserving for Ashwing, playing on particularly prepared pitches for his kind of bowling to dance batsmen on utter turners is very unfair. he should dedicate this award to pitch making staff and BCCI for helping him out from ordinary bowler into a star.

Ashwin is good, but nowhere near the likes of Murali/Warne. Definitely best spinner of our generation now (especially since Herath is getting old and will be gone soon). Ashwin only performs well on turning surfaces though and his record of struggling outside of Asia is well known. The amazing thing about Ashwin is that he is a great batsman and an average of 35 in Test Cricket (as well as hundreds in varying conditions) supports this. I still do not understand why people consider him more of a bowler than an allrounder. He is certainly a lot more valuable to the team than Kohli.

Just checked, during the time period Cook did score over 1000 runs at a decent average so should be in the team... probably shouldn't be captain though.

Very hard for teams to stay no1 for very long every team win at home lose away 2 thing very few players in todays cricket play in all types of conditions that's team lose away from the home because teams don't have players who can handle all conditions

@DUNGER.BOB Yes, I agree, Smith looks better than Voges, but during the time period, Voges scored 1028 at an average of 85.67 with the bat. It's very unfortunate Voges at age 37 never recover from slump form, his 2016 Sheffield game and recent BBL was mediocre.

Test team of the year seems solid although im not sure about stokes inclusion? Steyn has been out injured all year, and no room for virat? The rest seem all ok to me.

Congratulations to Afghanistan's flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad

Cricket is a game about numbers so in a hundred or so years, Adam Voges will be remembered as having the second best batting average of all time. Better than Tendulkar, ABD etc... For all you Voges haters out there, let it sink in...

Voges scored over 1000 runs during the voting period at an average of 90 while Kohli scored 500 at an average of 38 and people still question why Voges is in the team. Cook as captain (and in the team) is rather funny though.

Swap Smith for Voges and that test side looks pretty awesome.

  cricfan28508767 on December 23, 2016, 18:10 GMT

Why not recognition for best fielder of the year in Tests, ODIs and T20s?

What about MS Dhoni, do u even remeber him?? Youu didnt acknowledge the Big Man !!! come on man be a sport, you cant ignore our guru..

The way ashwin is bowling and considering no if left handers in oz line up plus there poor technique,it is going to be disastrous tour for smith and co. They were so poor against sl spin and now they will be facing 2R's.only god can save them from whitewash

Ashwin batting in last month and half as even become equally precious as his bowling. He is the reason behind india late success. Congratulations!!! Wishing u more success

With 55 wickets already in the 2016-17 ICC awards window, and 5 home tests to go, should we just give the ICC test player of the next year to Ashwin already ?

@IBRAHIM if I'm correct Pakistan lost two tests against England and won two tests against them this year , how could be that possible Pakistan didn't been defeat for last two years.....can you explain?

forget about BEATING India in India , let's try to draw the series against India in India first.....that will be a greater achievement than series victory against other countries

I will agree that India is yet to prove in AUS and SA, as they never won a series there. So I will hold my judgement about calling India the greatest team of the current generation until that happens. However, I will also expect everyone to accept that no other team can be called great until they beat India in India. And infact, as someone noted here, it has to be set as the highest standard. Beating India in India is the HARDEST task in cricket and only those who achieve this feat will be considered the greatest. I don't see this happening anytime soon, so I would give more chances to India beating SA and AUS in their homes respectively.

Adam Voges is in test team? Younis Khan's double hundred at oval was the best innings of the year, still he couldn't make it.

@IBRAHIM- So you are blaming Indians for considering last 10-15 years which were good for them but what are you doing? You considered 6 years exactly the point from where Indians started losing badly. Why didn't you consider 2009 & 10 when India was no. 1 or only last 4 years which ICC consideres to calculate it's ranking. Now coming to the recent tours Indias have been invincible at home and though they lost series in Aus, Eng, NZ still they drew matches there and lost few very close games. On the other hand Pak got whitewashed in SA, AUS & NZ. They couldn't able to defeat WI in WI and lost a match against Zim in Zim and against SA even WI in UAE Only positive came in England where they drew series. Now on the basis of only one point, you should not claim no. 1 ranking. @Cricinfo, please publish.

Well done Ashwin. Great year. Keep at it.

Congrats Ashwin for winning 2 major international cricket awards in one go! This is a rare achievement.

Ashwin is not just a talented spinner but a very Thinking cricketer whose brain is a laboratory of ideas and experimentations. India is very lucky to have such a Thinking bowler so soon after the retirement of another great Thinking spin bowler in Anil Kumble (who fortunately is now the coach - what a nice combo).

We certainly need at least one Thinking bowler in the team to balance out the likes of Srinath, Harbhajan, Ravi Jadeja and Umesh Yadav. LOL!

LOL The way Indians are claiming that no team can be considered the no.1 test team until they beat them on their own turf considering this Indian side is the same side that hot hammered on its last 6 overseas tours (excluding WI). And since Indians are busy digging up decade old records of how good they ONCE WERE outside the SC compared to other teams, why don't we point out how horrible India have become overseas over the last 6 years: lost 4-0 in Eng, lost 4-0 in Aus, lost 1-0 in SA, lost 1-0 in NZ, lost 3-1 in Eng, lost 2-0 in Aus. That's 21 tests, 1 win 15 losses 5 draws. So are India the measuring stick to decide who the no.1 test team is? Absolutely NOT. Pakistan currently are easily the best test side in the world and if you don't believe me then just go ask England. 2 years gone since their last defeat, Pak have played 8 test series (9th is ongoing) and have lost none...pls publish cricinfo

We can accept a team to be NO 1 only when they beat India in India. This is the benchmark or gold standard in Cricket.. Only when a team beats India in India in a test series only then they will be considered as No 1 team or else they will just another team..

ICC should stop naming Test XI or ODI XI of their choice. To blindly copy American spot tradition's isn't the smartest thing to do. Any such practices can start and end with the T20 leagues.

Congratulations Ashwin, you have done your country, your state & your fans proud! Hope you continue to put your best foot forward, good luck!

I would have included faf du plesis in the test team instead of cook and made faf the captain. Also, given the current form, faf is likely to score more runs than cook. Faf, like cook, is a complete batsman but a better leader. Surprised that pujara and kohli dint make it to the test team

Shakib is not in any team!!!

I think people really have to stop talking about india's performance outside subcontinent. The scale used to measure every team should be the same. Yes, India are yet to prove outside SC. The same applies to every other team as well. When is the last time any other team has played and won in India. Unless other teams do well in India they will never be considered as a great team(or No.1 team) even if they have won all over the world with their pace. Spin and Pace have equal weight people, just having pace and playing on green pitches does not mean you are world beaters.

@AMLAG India won series in Eng 2007 and NZ 2009. they draw series in SA. draw series in Ausi 2004. What is the last time AUSI and NZ won the series in India?. Eng won once(2012) in last 30 years.

Ashwin has made all us Indians proud and all others jealous.:). in this forum for some people, for every article, the same questions come, even after getting answered and thrashed by Indians here with stats.

  cricfan52636850 on December 23, 2016, 11:01 GMT

hahahaha.no yasir shah in test team of the year and cook captain and rangana hearth who only performed in srilanka in 3 match test series against aus is there.

Dear Amilag. When was the last time Eng/ Aus/ SA and NZ won a series in india. ENG won in 2013, india had earlier won in england in 2007. India also won in NZ in 2009, Nz hasn't won any in india. Aus last won a test in india in 2004, india won in 2008. Except for the recent tours to Aus and Eng (credited to transition phase of indian team), india have done well since 2000 (2-1 in aus in 2008, won a test in Eng, almost won a test in SA.

Yeah amilag fijicricket explained in detail about our Indian successes outside India so lets talk about pak team when have they won outside UAE dead pitches I even remember pak getting thrashed by zim in zim and by WI recently before that drew against nz at home,draw against SA at home and now got whitewashed in nz and now in aus pak team cannot win at home or away and their batting is as fragile as ban,zim or worse than them and India we have won cups in eng,SA when has pak done that and d 14-0 record stands out and now u are #9 in Odis on d verge of playing WC qualifiers looool

Cook skipper of the year!! Laugh...I nearly choked on my breakfast. He is the worst skipper since the bloke off the Titanic. Even England fans can't stand him.

This bunch of Sunday league cricketers would struggle to win a county match. Williamson, Root and Ashwin are the only ones who deserve a place. Yes, I know how the voting works but having a bit of form against weak sides doesn't turn very average players like Voges, Bairstow and Stokes into world beaters. And as much as I like Steyn, his selection makes no sense unless the period in review was 2012.

Suve...But Wanre and Murali were utterly failed in Ind , if Ashwin required to perfom outside the same principle should also apply on these two who were treated as club levels by our Fab five when ever they faced irrespective of home aor away, Murali could not win a test in Ind same goes to Warne , stats doesnt lie, keep hatrade a side and learn to respect the class,

when was the last time india won a test series against Eng/AUs/SA/NZ out side the subcontinent?

Congrats Ashwin for winning two International awards in one go! A very rare feat.

I feel very proud of R. Ashwin! He is not only a talented spin bowler but a Thinking cricketer who has fine-tuned himself to rise to higher levels in his cricket career. India is indeed lucky to see the birth of a Thinking bowler after the retirement of another Thinking spin bowler - Anil Kumble. The other teams are not that lucky.

We certainly need one Thinking bowler along with the likes of Srinath, R Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Harbhajan. LOL!

The neighbours near West of India are clearly misinformed. They should regularly read cricinfo for correct news. What are these new claims of India lost to England 4-0 at home

@ Mohammad Zamin : India lost to england 4-0 at home in a parallel universe where pak is still the no 1 test team.

@AMILAG When was India whitewashed in their latest away tours? Last time India was whitewashed, I was 4 years younger than I am today. A lot has changed since then, including the team (fab 4 retired). The current team under Kohli has not been whitewashed. In fact, it performed a hell lot better than many teams against NZ, AUS, SA, WI and SL (all away tours).

So the brigade of ashwin haters feels the pain again..pak fans say ashwin has to prove overseas.wat is their team performance agnst nz and aus..wat did yasir did..just looked club level bowler..whereas our own kumble has consistently dented aus in their own backyard..least to say abt pak batting or else we have to bring 12th rank side to proceed the discussion for comparitive analysis

who is the captain of ODI team of the year?

While I can understand that the timeframe used to evaluate players may have justified the outcome, but the timing of the announcement (and publishing this article) couldn't have been more terrible. England has lost 8 tests this year under Cook's captaincy but he is still chosen to be captain of the ICC Test Team of the Year? England took a humiliating beating by India days ago and to see as many as 4 England players appearing in the ICC Test Team looks atrocious. Kohli and Smith may not have featured this year and most likely will feature next year. Between Kohli and Smith/Root, they will share "Cricketer" and "Test Player" of the year 2017.

Not surpsied to read the usual drivel on here moaning about some selections and non selections, usually without reading the article and understanding the time period in question is Oct 15, to Sep 16. Also the accusations of bias against the ICC are ridiculous.

Fans should give credit where it is due. it doesn't matter home or away as in a 4 year FTP each country is playing the same number of matches he and away. Leaving aside spectacular performance of Ashwin with ball, without his resistance with bat in lower order Indian would lost many matches at the too. Ashwin reminded me of Jaques Kallis. Just when opposition thinks they can bowl out the team Kallis never gave up with bat, same with Ashwin too and no wonder he is Number one all-rounder. Pls publish

LOL, that ODI team of the year will likely beat the test team of the year in a TEST match.

Congratulations. Well deserved awards coming after his first overseas successes in the West Indies. Wishing him the best in future away tours in England and Australia. He has always been a giant in the sub continent.

We want next year Khali may won player of award

This was expected and I'm glad that he grabbed cricketer of year award as well. Congrats Ashwin and keep performing well in future too.

Fijicricket. You put your achievements out but what about achievements of other teams or the 4-0 loss at home against England, no team apart from Zimbabwe gets whitewashed at home apart from India.

@AMILAG India wasn't whitewashed in last tours of England, Australia, NZ, SA , WI .. India have continuously played abroad between 2013-2015 .. now they are enjoying the home season ..

The formula used looks at most runs in the set period. In 2016 Root, Cook and Bairstow all scored more than Kohli and Smith. However, Smith played 7 tests fewer than they did and Kohli 5 fewer - in the period they use. So that did not include their most recent runs. I think the outcome is harsh on both Smith and Kohli, but I am sure they could not care less.

@ FIJICRICKET a bit harsh about Pakistan I suggest. The 'whitewash' description is being over used. Every one has been 'white washed' at some stage in each format. It depends on how the 'home' conditions are contrived by local officials and the makeup of the opposition.

@Broken_record: Who is going to bowl them out? Injured Dale Steyn who can play only one match? Or Mitchel Starc (see the result of Test series was S.A) ? Or Rangana Herath (Good one but mostly in Asia)? And who is going to piles of runs? Cook? YJB? Voges who is already out of the side? Or Overrated Stokes? @Cluelessjan1: 12th man can be anyone cause he never plays. Anyone can carry the drinnks. Unlike ICC, you dont necessarily want Smith to do this job. He should be batting on 3

@OPTO_PUS who told you Australia was in Asia? I always figured my country was in Oceania.

Can't imagine leaving out Kohli and ABD in any team. Test Team : 1.Warner 2.H.Amla 3.Smith 4. Kohli (Captain) 5.Root 6. Abd(Wk) 7. Stokes 8. Ashwin 9. Jadeja 10. Starc 11. Bolt

Well done Ashwin. Congratulations. Proud of you. Intelligent, brilliant and talented cricketer from Tamil Nadu.

Dale Steyn is an undoubted great of the game. But wasn't he spending most of his time last year with the medical staff rather than on the field? As such, a bit strange to see him in the test 11. Hope's he'll be back soon and that he will be in the next year's team too though.

@AMILAG: can't say for sure. will have to wait and see whether he has actually improved his overall skills or whether he has only mastered home conditions.

@AMILAG ON DECEMBER 23, 2016, 5:24 GMT You are confused! Its Australia who has been white- washed in all 3 formats .The worst being 3 Zip hiding in the T20s by india down under. AND last month Pakistan has been whitewashed easily be NZ and another whitewash awaits in Australia. BTW Pakistan is no longer number 1 as they won because of rain in another country and did not deserve number 1 test rank without winning on the feild

@HHILLBUMPER ON DECEMBER 22, 2016, 23:21 GMT " It is just a shame that they can't tour anywhere with bounce or movement" Hahaahahaha India have won a World Cup in England and South Africa. India have won a Champions Trophy in England too. India have won Test series in England (1971, 1986 and 2007), SL, West Indies (1970/71, 2006, 2011 and 2016), NZ (1967 and 2009), Zimbabwe, Pakistan (2004) and Bangladesh. India has also drawn a series in South Africa (2010/11) and also drawn a series in Australia (1977/78, 1980/81, 1985/86 and 2003/04). India has done better in Aus, Eng, NZ and SA than other Asian countries. India has won every single ICC trophy - 2 times World Cup winners, 1 time T20 World Cup winner, 2 time Champions Trophy winner (2002 shared, 2013 outright winners) and 6 time Asia Cup winners. India has also won the U-19 World Cup 3 times meaning that India produces the best young talent.

@AMILAG ON DECEMBER 23, 2016, 5:24 GMT" Everyone knows whenever India go outside subcontinent most of the recent they were white washed and thus do not deserve no.1 test rank" Hahaahahaha India have won a World Cup in England and South Africa. India have won a Champions Trophy in England too. India have won Test series in England (1971, 1986 and 2007), SL, West Indies (1970/71, 2006, 2011 and 2016), NZ (1967 and 2009), Zimbabwe, Pakistan (2004) and Bangladesh. India has also drawn a series in South Africa (2010/11) and also drawn a series in Australia (1977/78, 1980/81, 1985/86 and 2003/04). India has done better in Aus, Eng, NZ and SA than other Asian countries. India has won every single ICC trophy - 2 times World Cup winners, 1 time T20 World Cup winner, 2 time Champions Trophy winner (2002 shared, 2013 outright winners) and 6 time Asia Cup winners. India has also won the U-19 World Cup 3 times

ICC should control the fixtures for a particular year and put up regulations as to how many matches to be played in home conditions and outside of it. This will reflect correct ranking of player and teams in rating/performance evaluation. I believe this is being purposely ignored to serve big cricket boards specially those who are monetary powerful.

Everyone knows whenever India go outside subcontinent most of the recent they were white washed and thus do not deserve no.1 test rank. Ashwin is an average bowler/batsman who has not performed outside India and do not deserve such awards.

If the voting period ended in September 2016, it is too late to announce the team in December as the Australian, Indian and other seasons are in full swing and the form could have been changed. The team and awards should be announced in mid-October to be relevant.

Voges instead of Virat Kohli in the test team? You are kidding.. right?

Best dancer of the year - smith, worst captain of the year 'smith' . Best useless player of the year 'Starc' . Best fighting team of the year - Australia for fighting themselves.

Test Team : 1.Warner 2.H.Amla 3.Smith 4.Root 5.Kohli 6.Abd(Wk) 7.Stokes 8.Ashwin 9.Herath 10.Starc 11.Rabadda Cook/Warner ODI TEAM: 1.Warner 2 .De Kock 3.V.Kohli 4.J.Root 5.Rohit 6.Abd 7 .Stokes 8 M.Starc 9.S.Narine 10.Boult 11.Hazlewood

A simple truth. The main criteria for selection of this strange test team is the window period in question. Your anguish over leaving out favorite and talent-proven players in the test squad is understandable but your wild accusations and biased comments are not note worthy. Maybe all these names would find a place at the appropriate time. ICC is an international and independent body governing cricket. All countries have proper representations. If you all think BCCI has bought your officials in favor of biased awards and teayou should wouldn't exhonerwhy can't you all wait until

ICC Test team of the year does not have Kohli? Huh - what am I missing? Didn't he have blockbuster year?

  Harsha Puthraya on December 23, 2016, 3:00 GMT

Adam voges and David Warner? Seriously? There are better players then them to make it to the test team. Steve Smith has good record so far but boy he is ugly to watch...he has more moving parts than a engine. Once he is out of form he will struggle badly.

one nanometer of movement troubles the austrailians. Indians arent going to be the worst tourers on the world for long those kangaroos will

Austrailia need to watch out for the Border-Gavaskar trophy coming up.... a Rare Austrailian side under Pressure to Exceed. reed the acronym that is what will happen to those untalented players

Indian players will start to do good outside of india as we arent dependant on our spinners and kohli completely anymore.

Why I am not in the test or odi team? I am far better than any of these. Seriously, it's just a team, stop making such a big deal.

50 batting average (or more) on all formats and didnt even have a place in the test team, terrible. Kohli has done insanely well everywhere except England. The last tour of England was b4 the voting period, how did he not make it then?

Steven Smith, the best test player not getting his due respect.... disgusting. 58 batting average and with great consistency too, voges has only performed in home and against a terrible West Indies side that wont even qualify for the 2019 world cup

asad Is some talent pak cricket board should look after him closely

Voges... this man should've retired let alone be in a team of the year.

Tim Martin, you sweet man. you knw that every county makes pitches suited to their best strengths. The reason India does so poor outside of home is due to the fact that the pitches are made so they dont spin at all. Before when India didnt have the best spinners in the world, other countries used to make pitches suited to spin such as the aussies (flat-track bullies if there ever are any) when Warne used to play. My point is that you cant undermine the efforts of people like Ashwin who have done undeniably great.

Seriously, why is Voges in the Test XI? He can't make the Australia team yet ICC thinks he makes the International team? Azhar (950 runs at 52) should have been in place of Warner who's been mediocre this year (604 at 35). Steyn played 3 matches this year, how is he in the team? 1) Cook 2) Azhar 3) Williamson 4) Kohli/Smith 5) Root 6) Bairstow 7) Stokes 8) Ashwin 9) Herath 10) Starc 11) Rabada 12) Smith/Kohli.

FAYYAZ03 who is your 12th man? ICC had steve smith.

CHEESEVANTONDER'S_SECOND_FATHER. 'Overrated Steve Smith'. I think you should take a look at the test records of each my friend. Smith has played less games, has more centuries and fiftys, has hit more runs, has a higher average by some way and has a higher strike rate than Kohli.

Somehow you think he's overrated?

I really wonder at the level of intelligence of some of the contributors to these comments. I have no problem with recognizing pure factual information but when patriotism gets in the way of fact I just shake my head.

India played only 5 ODI's during this qualifying period against the Aussies at the beginning of this year. Frankly even an Indian fan, have to accept Jaddu didn't do very well in them & yet he is in the ICC ODI team. Can't understand the logic of this at all & so totally sympathize with Crickfan59240873 as to why Jaddu is in the team whilst Pakistan's Imad Wasim is not who did a lot better.

IMHO .. This World Test XI would most probably lose to India :)..

That side would be lucky to make 300 against a good attack.

FAYYAZ03 - Your team will probably get bowled out for 200 and concede 500+. Either way, it depends where this hypothetical match will be played, on what type of surface, and whether it will be played now or when the voting period ended (September 2016).

Are you serious, what is Adam Voges doing in the test team, after already been dropped from the Aussie team.

Kohli and Rabada should be in the test team.

As much as I like Dale Steyn. I'm pretty sure he only played one full test this year. Am I right? If so how can he make a test team of 2016? Adam Voges over Kohli? Who came up with this team?

Based on 5 test series. ICC Test team can not beat PAK cricket team any where in the world

Just pick the Indian team because they are the best team ever. They won at home so must be brilliant. It is just a shame that they can't tour anywhere with bounce or movement

None of Root, Kohli, Williamson and even Ajinkya Rahane have a Test hundred in England, South Africa and Australia.

Asad Shafiq does. What does it make a difference.

@ELECTRIC_LOCO_WAP4 ON DECEMBER 22, 2016, 12:22 GMT- Only Younis, Sarfaraz, Amir in your team? Your very own Pakistan and even you dont think any other Pak player deserves to be in the team? Sad day for Pakistan team! Your fellow countrymen and staunchest of supporters feel you are not good enough!

During that period PAK was most promising team ,and that is due some strange spirit. There under mediocre players are not even mentionable.

@FAYYAZ03 English team that got thrash recently in India is not included since this is only from 2015-2016 record. Braistow got 1355 in a year, and Stokes got 250 in South Africa plus bags of wickets puts these two english in the list. Cook and Root had piled runs from 2015-2016.

These 'awards' are made on purely statistical grounds, within defined team position categories, in a set period of time. Smith with test average of over 58 is 12th man, but on the stats he may not have qualified. So be it. I can't see how Steyn got in this time, but Ashwin was the standout cricketer in the defined period and Herath's work was also outstanding. Kohli's performances at home were reduced by his work away from home. Voges had an amazing run of scores in the period used in the process.

Why is there so much hype about an average spin bowler, sure he is accurate and can be a handful in dry (subcontinental conditions) but is he effective elsewhere? As a finger spinner, he does not produce enough revs on the ball to get any purchase off the pitch anywhere other than the subcontinent, and for his "variations", the carrom ball is much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. The quality of spin bowlers has really dipped in the past 5 years. Imagine if Ashwin played in the same era as Murali and Warne? would he still be the cricketer of the year? In all truth, he is probably the best spinner there is at present, with Yasir Shah and Rangana Herath at about the same calibre, but all average!

Sounds like almost no-one bothered to read the bit in article where it says "...period from September 2015 to 2016...". People, please: RTFA before posting. Then, before you hit submit, read it again. It's not rocket science, and you won't end up looking like a twit.

Again, the selection period is September 2015 to September 2016. Why the ICC don't tell us their teams in October, only they know, since they look foolish by leaving it this late. The reason for these dates? September is the end of the English cricket season and traditionally there has been a break in the Test cricket calendar before the next round of matches starts. If the calendar year is used, there would usually be an unfinished series in progress and they wanted a clean break.

Ashwin. Best ICC sub continent test bowler of the year. It should be.

Virat koli should have been selected to the test team instead of Adam voges who had pathetic series against Sri Lanka and South Africa and dropped from Australian team

no yasir shah nous kolhi no yunus or azhar?

It would be very useful if someone put the stats of the players in the year under consideration. It would be even better if they did it on performances for the calendar year. No more Voges. Why does it take 2.5 months to get such results out?

Those who are complaining about Voges being in the team & Kohli not - need to understand the basis of this team selection. No one is claiming that Voges is better overall batsman than Kohli. Instead, this test team is based on the performance in the Sep 2015 to Aug 2016 period. Voges has over performed in that period, hence he gets the nod. Please understand the context before jumping the gun.

There are numerous people over here who had questioned the absence of Kohli & the presence of 3 English batsmen in the Test squad. To be frank, even I was flabbergasted until I checked the stats for the period of Sep 14th 2015 to Sep 20th 2016. As per that, this selection makes proper sense. They had opted for the strike rate when it came to bowlers which is logical. But Jadeja was overlooked inspite of that due to Stokes superior batting. However, when it came to the ODI team, they have not solely relied on stats (even their logic doesnt make sense). Rohit should have been the opener as he has the best average among the top 10 & scored more than Warner, if not Rohit then the next choice shuld have been Hales who is the 2nd in the charts & has better average than Warner. At No.3, Root should have been the choice who is the top scorer during this period. Even Jadeja's inclusion seemed surprising, I guess his fielding & batting might have tilted the scales in his favour over Tahir

ICC has lost the plot. You need to look a little bit further than simply averages and apply a bit of intuition here....Steyn hasn't played much, Voges did nothing besides a truckload of runs against a WI team that couldn't beat most FC teams on pitches that resembled roads, then a double against NZ where he should have been clean bowled for 7 if it not for one of the worst umpiring howlers known in the game. As a result, these awards become meaningless however saying that, Ashwin's performances have been outstanding.

@A.Jayawardene. India won mainly because of every player from 1 to 11 play outstanding cricket....I think may be you are not so happy with India win or not aware of the facts...check the match scorecard of every Test on espncricinfo...it is not that hard. But yes Kohli and Ashwin are the pillars of Indian cricket. Without Kohli and Ashwin performing India won the last match by an innings yet again after losing the toss and scoring 759 for 7 dec with two young players scoring triple century and almost a double shows how strong a team India are. Keep watching India will be too good outside sub continent also.

Murali Vijay, Azhar Ali, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli (c), Faf Duplessis, Quinton DeKock, Ravinder Jadeja, Josh Hazlewood, Kagiso Rabada, Kayle Abbott, Yasir Shah

Take that test team selectors, just compare my XI with yours and ask yourself if they come head to head, who is going to win? No arguments about Ashwin, Warner and Starc. But just think about the rest!

This test team is seriously a joke! The guy Virat Kohli who performed all across the year is not there. No Pakistani player either (perhaps some miracle made them number 1 recently as the team selector dont think their players were of any worth). And look at that, 4 english players there who not only received thrashing from India recently, but also could not win home series against Pakistan. This is height of hypocrisy!

there should be a separate award for best batsman and bowler, its hard to compare the two.

@OPTO_PUS:- In fact Ashwin played 8 tests of which only 6 were completed fully, 2 were washed off. So in 6 tests 3 were overseas, in WI. So anyway your comment is proved wrong as he has won the player of the year with equal number of overseas tests. Unless you get the geography wrong and call WI as part of India, you cannot be right.

Guys the team selection is based on individual performance between September 2015 to 2016. In that time India played only 8 tests, 4 against SA of which one got washed out and 4 against WI in WI and of which one got washed out. So with just 6 tests, we got one player to be named the ICC player of the year, it is an awesome performance for sure. Also against SA, they were low scoring tests hence Kolhi is not found in the test team. Else how can there be a test team without Kolhi?

Next year Kolhi will for sure be the captain of world test X1 and also win the player of the year award. 2 Double hundred already in 3 months time, still 9 more months to go!

Sincerely hope both Kohli and Aswin do not read these posts lest they may develop a rift. Let me tell you all how I understood talent. Talent is improvisation. Talent is change of tactics as needed. Talent is adaptation to the prevailing conditions. Aswin has all these. He learned a few lessons from his poor performances in super(?!?!?) countries in the past. He corrected flaws in his bowling actions. His future tours would tell us where he stands. If you all could get stuck with the past fans like me could look for a different future. Alas! None in this forum seems to be living at the present times. Past is history and a good reference for cross checks. Future is unpredictable and it could bring forth some twists and turns. So people who says Aswin can't perform in overseas in future are practising none other than witchcraft. He deserves these awards based on his current performances. Why comparisons? Why predictions? Why cross border cries? Why past failures? JUST BELIEVE THE PRESENT

Really? 3 English batsmen in the top six? The team that failed to draw any test. (First test were drawn by indian batting when English bowlers got an advantage by winning the toss, India would have won if they won the toss in the first test). Otherwise a good team. Ben Stokes is no where near to be a real allrounder (one who can get ones self selected by balling and knows how to bat or vice versa). Ashwin or Jadeja (even Starc) are real all rounders.

Can someone please tell who selected these teams. Appreciate if the team selectors talk about why and why nots.

The mystery of ICC team selections is huge and baffles many fans of the game. Fans need answers about the award selection.

Steve Smith should be in the test team over Voges, Cook is a joke too

Ashwin deserves the awards.

However what doesn't seems to be logic is that the first two top rated test batsmen (Steve Smith and Virat Kohli) is not in the test 11. Instead Adam Voges, who is not a member of Australian test team itself got in....

oh my words seriously I always say Kohli is bad in some conditions but he must have been in Test team and Please tell me why Azhar Ali not there in test team give one reason and also Why Alastair Cook there and also as captain for god sake please don't joke Cook 2016 has been bad and as captain my words seriously

Given the glove work. Barstow is a shame in elite club

Why no Bangladesh Tiger in top 22 worlds best team. Tamim and miraz will be there next year. Mark my words

Dale Steyn In Test 11??? How match did he played & wicket he took during this period...

@MATCH_REFEREE:"If India tours overseas for a full season, then Ashwin may get "Silent cricketer of the year" and "Non testing test player of the year""Actually if India toured overseas Ashwin should be considered a solid number 7 batsmen with a batting average as good as Ben Stokes without having scored a 250+ all in one innings. As for being "Silent cricketer of the year" if he was presented with the kind of road that Ben Stokes was again South Africa in Cape Town he too could score a century against South Africa. More to the point why do people think SA produced such a pitch in Cape Town, because of the absolute hammering SA got in India 3-0 in four tests just like England did 4-0 in five tests."Non testing test player of the year" so you think an allrounder whom averaged scored 306 runs at an average of 43.71 and took 28 wickets at an average of 30.25 will be a non testing test player. If anything Ashwin will improve overseas at aged 30 he can bowl till 35 years of age easily.

@DREW12:"@OPTO_PUS You gave the away figures, not the average outside of Asia. Believe it or not as you wish, but India is not the only country in the Asian region. Actually, it is not even the only country in that region that plays cricket. So average away and average outside Asia are two very, very different things." Ok let me explain that Ravichandran Ashwin has played 4 test matches in West Indies and taken 17 wickets at an average of 23.17 (not in Asia). In South Africa played 1 test with figures of 0/108 so no average as no wickets. In England played 2 test matches and taken 3 wickets at an average of 33.66 (not in Asia) last time I saw England was in Northern Europe. In Australia played 6 tests with 21 wickets at average 54.71 (in Asia, but Australian continent).

Adam Vokes!! Kohli should be in test team way ahead of this guy. If Aswin can do it on Aus and SA pitch, to take wicket and make runs then he can be that legit. However, he is good for what he done.

Kohli not in the test team?

@TrueFactors on December 22, 2016, 17:32 GMT "Reading all comments, I am wondering is there is any CRICINFO readers award of 2016." Dude, I can be your joint winner. I am not kidding if I say I read all the 300 odd or 600 odd comments. I don't even watch movies, but read the forums here end to end. :-)

Congratulations ashwin you deserve this award....

to be honest I don't even know who Adam votes is..

I am a Sri Lankan and don't have much love for Indians except being a south Asian. But Kholi not in the test team and vougs in is a real laugh..vough is not capable handling real spin in sub continent which he showed in Sri Lanka while kholi has performed in Australia and South Africa .. kholi seem to have a weakness again swing but is classy enough to make amends in future England tours. This has to be some numbering error other wise even though I dont like kholi I appreciate his talent and ability and should definitely named in the test team..

TIGERPRK ON DECEMBER 22, 2016, 14:56 GMT...Ashwin was man of the series in SL & WI (I hope you know the geography)...he scored two centuries there as well...the article of 20 streaks of Ashwin is next to this, plz read it...regarding Rohit in ODI, he scored almost 500 runs in Aus with two centuries and was man of the series as well, he also scored 300+ runs in SA series...plz check the stats before commenting

@SAGELEAF With due respect, Herath's 19 wickets against Zimbabwe is outside the qualifying period & performances against weaker teams too shouldn't count for much either! Virat Kohli's brilliant performances mainly came at the end of the year outside the qualifying period - so as an Indian fan, can understand why he didn't make it to the Test side.

  Biplob3178 on December 22, 2016, 17:36 GMT

This is a complete joke. Kohi is not in the test team even. A batsman who scored more than 2500 runs with an average over 86 in all form of cricket is not the best cricketer of the year?

  Cricinfouser on December 22, 2016, 17:36 GMT

world cricket is in a state of imbalance now a days.let me explain how. India no doubt is great but they are playing England Aus NZ in their home so Ashwin and spinners can toy with them.we will get a clear picture when a strong spin playing nation visits India. SL is in rebuilding state and the best team of spinning conditions Pakistan cant tour India nor India can go to their adopted home so rankings are kind of irrelevant now a days. Two best teams in test now are Pakistan and India but who is number one and who and number 2 we cant decide until they play. India is at number one because its playing in India And Pakistan at 3 because they are playing in NZ, AUS and ENG. one series in INDIA and one return series in U.A.E will decide the world leader in tests. Yeap India is the top team in ODIs

Even the late comments seem to be unaware of the fact that voting was based on performance frm Sep'15-Sep'16. Kohli didnt played a lot of test during that period. Moreover Ashwin contributed from the bat as well and deserves every bit of the recognition. Looking at both the teams, I'm surprised how did they chose the captain.

This truly was Ashwin's year! An amazing cricketer, congrats to him! There are some questionable selections in the both teams but I imagine not everyone will be totally satisfied regardless of who were selected.

Reading all comments, I am wondering is there is any CRICINFO readers award of 2016. May be, I am THE MOST ELIGIBLE for that award. :) Current Test No 1 batsman S Smith should be a captain of test team (funnily he is #12). Kohli has performance, runs, leadership, strike rate and average across all format in last 15 months, Ranking is explaining that too. He is an automatic choice for all three formats. Voges has done well but he cannot make on those bits and pieces. (Or, Karun Nair and Azhar Ali will break in next year) Yasir Shah was equally good during given period and so was Herath, but Ashwin has batting on his side too. Every bowler has a limitation. Fast bowlers are good in green bouncy surface and spinners make statement on spin friendly surface. So, home vs away cannot go well. Most fast bowlers don't even play with their false injury in sub-continent. Starc, Broad and Anderson are few. Stokes did not bowl many overs. Forget the rest.

By the way, teams have funny selections.

Awesome Ashwin. Hope he continues his form and keeps improving.

I dont care about the people who critic him for they are biased. When pace bowlers who get buckets of wickets in their home conditions and batsmen who score loads of runs in flat home tracks can get best player award, why not Ashwin who contributes with both ball and bat!

If Voges can find a place, I feel Kohli and Pujara deserve it too.

Well guys I'm wondering where would Rangana Herath stands taking 47 wickets in just 5 test matches. Has anyone done better than Herath? not for the past 100 years? so Ashwin is good but I feel Herath is better. 28 wickets with Australia in 3 test matches and 19 wickets with Zimbabwe in 2 test matches that is pure class. The biggest joke is Virat Kohli is not in the test side. Gosh he the best batsmen in the world right now and does not get a place in the ICC test team of the year 2016. the selection committee got it all wrong Virat should definitely be there.

did cook, voges and bairstow really have better stats than kohli and pujara?

Kohli's performances may have been after the voting period. May be the only justification of him not making to the test time.

Surprised Kohli was not in the running for Cricketer of the year - he had a prolific year!

R you out of mind? ODI team without Fizz?

I would take Cook and Voges out of the test team and replace with Steve Smith and Virat Kohli

jadeja in ODIs but Kohli not in test , totally shocked ,

@ISER ___ "Agreed that Strac was brilliant in SL, but SL's fragile batting line(J silva, karunarathne, K perara)......"_____ this theory can be applied on Ashwin too no? England is weak against spin(Ask bd bowler mehedi ) so are the kiwis(lol they gave away too many wickets to lyon in their own backyard) and add to that "home condition". He has failed in AUS(twice, outbowled by lyon), SA and ENG(outbowled by moeen)......Atleast Sl isnt Starcs home and is no way a pacer friendly wicket(sl opened with spinners,both their pacers and hazlewood struggled)...Starc enjoyed the west indies(so did Ashwin) where bishoo got the most number of wickets VS Aus..Starc has a better record in ODI (way better compared to Ashwin)My question is why the double stardard??

Proud of Indian pitch conditions...To be honest best at the moment..They are result oriented...Equal support for both batsman and bowlers..Excellent and knowledgeable crowds..Eg,. Cheering for ABD and Butler...Proud of indian team that won 4-0 against Eng after lossing toss and oppostion posted 400 repetatively...Though agree our guys have to perform in Aus/SA/Eng like how guys performed in 2000s..In 2003 1-1 against Aus, In 2010 1-1 against SA, In 2006 won 1-0 against Eng and in 2009 won 1-0 against NZ..All were overseas...Same way our guys should back in track...Am sure under kohli, India are in right track...Proud INDIAN

How can they have Adam Voges who is not even part of his national team and not Virat Kohli. This is atrocious selection. Even Dale Steyn has not played majority of the tests this season. I would rather have Steve Smith in place of Cook and let KW open.

Narine has not been the bowler post remodelling his action. Ashwin should have been in the ODI team as well.

Well done Ashwin!!! You deserved it....next year I hope it will be all Kohli or AB show....India and South Africa are two teams I love and respect most.

People find it easy to belittle Ashwin's achievements. Keep belittling them. Ashwin has 7 different variations (a normal offie, a cross-seam offie, an undercutter, a top-spinner, a carrom ball, a leg-break, an arm-ball which away swings). Last person with many variations was Abdul Qadir. Not even Warne had that many variations. Plus on his stock ball he gets dip and drift like any world class spinner should. Plus he averages 35 with the bat (and 25 with ball; + 10 batting average - Bowling average; Statistically a Great All-Rounder). He is the only test cricketer of the modern era who will certainly find a place in the WI Team of the 1980s and the Bradman's Invincibles of the 1940s. He is that good. His only weakness is slightly below average fielding.

@cricfan83819392, This exactly what I said. Although it is for the time you quoted, the adjudicators sat at the table during the euphoria created by Indian win mainly due to Ashwin ( & messed up their task).

ICC Test team looks really feeble. Without Ashwin it can be routed by Indian or Pakistani Team. How come Alastair Cook be a captain, when his position as captain in English Team it self is doubtful.

Are you kidding me!!! No Virat Kohli in the Test team! Paah.

From Sept 2015 to Sept 2016 in ODIs R. Jadeja : 3 wkts @ 88.7 and 45 runs Imad Wasim : 13 wkts @ 20.4 & 215 runs @ 107.5

Aus, Sa, Eng and Nz fans logic Their batsmen(world class) Our bats(Hv to prove in green wickets) Bouncy tracks (High quality) Spinning tracks(low standard pitch) Green wickets (Superior) Turners(Not a cricket pitch) Their Batsmen(world class) Our bats(Hv to prove in green wickets)

Their ground scores Sub-continent ground scores Their team 500/5 (Great) Our team 500/5 (Flat roads) Their team 200/10(poor shots) Our team 200/10 (Not even good at home) Our team 500/5(flat beds offered) Their team 500/5(Outstanding) our team 200/10(great bowl by 'em) Their team 200/10(poor pitch, trapped) Their bats 200(world class) Our bats 200(Home track bully) Their bats 0,1 (lean patch) Our bats 0,1(should retire) Their bowl 5/150(great bowl) Our bowl 5/60(Lion at home only) Their bowl 0/100(bad day) Our bowl 0/70(Not even good at home) Our bowl 5/60(poor shots by them) Their bowl 5/150 (world class)

A Test team with Bairstow as the keeper is a joke. His glove work is so far below average he can't catch a cold. De Kock had a higher batting average and is the better keeper by miles. And more miles. And even more miles. He can even catch the ball and effect stumping and run outs, fundamental requirements for keepers that Barstow is yet to learn.

If that's the test team of the year then it's quite clear why test cricket is on the decline.

Keep saying naysayers.. But you can't stop the progress of Our players and team's performances

Smith scored gazillion runs on flat roads in Australia and won the award ..Nobody raised question ..

I would have ANY other batsmen over Voges, what the heck, even younus khan over him. Voges had just one good series and thats it. In the same period, younus scored, kohli scored (albeit not so fluent in test at the start of year), infact de cock scored in tests too. Smith is 12th man . I would swap him with voges. Bowlers - well steyn was not his usual self, so i would either take philander Josh Hazlewood. Alas, none of the pacers were any great this year, apart from starc's one burst in srilanka. spinners - Its the best choice. Both Herath and Ash were rampaging in the said timeframe. Some people are talking about yasir shah. He was, i am sure, close behind, but he had a mixed series apart from reaching a milestone of 100 wickets. As a legspinner, Herath is more skilled than shah, no doubt about that.

Well done De Kock and Ashwin on what was a spectacular year. I must say the test team is an absolute joke though.

How did Jadeja get into the ODI team ? Baffling !!

@ELECTRIC_LOCO_WAP4_IS_DELUDED: Precisely. Whose #1? yours or mine? My # 1 ranks ICC # 1. Therefore, you understand where your # 1 stands with respect to mine. On the other hand if your # 1 is bad then obviously it is what it is. Which means it the worst.

R. ASHWIN ....NO.1 BOWLER IN TEST CRICKET AND NO.1 ALL ROUNDER TOO IN TEST CRICKET RANKINGS.....enough said for the jealous haters

lol the Test team of the year is really bad.

Ashwin improved in Last Austalia and engaland series test series in their home. I hope he play well in Newzland/south africa this time

@TIGERPRK dont ask this question again and again For that one year Ashwin did West Indies(Batting + Bowling) abroad. If you say west indies week. He performed both Batting and bowling Lot of wickets he taken in t2o or odi in abroad in india also Ashwin: Play all three format Jadaja: Play all three format Other spinner wont perform in three format

  Muru Gaiyan on December 22, 2016, 15:36 GMT

Aswin got this award due to his current ranking. No 1 Bowler and no 1 Allrounder in ICC ranking. Not surprised... this award due to his achievement in one year period time. it does not count, he was not taken wickets in Ausi 2 yrs ago.

@A.Jayawardene: You are wrong. Please read the article again. Only performances from Sep 15 to Sep 16 were considered. It is easy to undermine somebody's performance easily.

Firstly congratulations to Ashwin and all the other winners.

The first point id like to make is the pitches provided by india during NZ series and England series were competitive wickets. Not rank turners as people keep saying.

England won every toss. Even scored over 400 in their first innings twice and got outplayed. It is what it is. They lost the series because they couldnt hold on to their catches.

I hear a lot of people talking about competitive wickets and india should prepare seamer friendly wickets.. why would India do that. The soil in India is different to what England has. And not to forget the heat. So pitches do dry up fast.

Look Test cricket is called "Test" cricket for a reason. It is a Test of your skills and abilities. Anyone whos watched Indian cricket over the last 24 months will see they have been more than competitive in foreign conditions. They are a champion team with champion attitude.

Ashwin too wickets and made runs. And he deserves the award.

@tigerprk..answers for your questions regarding Ashwin overseas performance lie in the article . I hope u can read & understand English . Plz don't comment just for the sake of hatred for team india. Comment with logic & presence of mind.

The award is called Test cricketer *of the year* because it takes into consideration performances for the year. The award is not called "If Ind would have played overseas, Ashwin would have performed badly". Yes, the fact maybe true but the selection panel does not think - Since Ashwin has performed badly overseas in the previous years, lets not give it to him. Just acknowledge the performances for this year, plain and simple.

What Adam Voges instead of Kohli in tests for middle order? He had one good series in WI (against a poor team) which boosted his avg and is not even in the Aussies team now. ICC selectors - please do proper analysis before selecting.

A lot of the confusion is caused because the voting period is September to September but they don't announce the awards until the end of the year. It also makes them look stupid really, given that Cook and Voges clearly no longer warrant their places and nobody in their right mind would leave Kohli out of the team.

@DELTA07: "Really Ashwin averages 21.90 at home and 33 away... Legend really..." // Ashwin made his Test debut against West Indies. India play the same amount of Test series home & away as England, Australia and Pakistan. In fact, South Africa play more Test cricket at home than India. So Ashwin has played in Australia twice (2011/12 and 2014/15 - total of 6 Tests), South Africa (2013/14 - 1 Test) and England (2014 - 2 Tests). He played no Tests against New Zealand as Jadeja was picked in favour. India will play overseas again from 2017 starting with South Africa followed by England in 2018, Australia in 2018/19 and New Zealand in 2019. Then he'll have a large enough sample size to judge his overseas record. The only place Ashwin can be judged in is Australia. Plz publish, cricinfo.

can anyone tell me what great Aswin achieve outside India??..or on a pitch what is less conducive to spin bowlers??....then you can understand he deserve the trophy or not...and what fore ever out of form Rohit did to enter best odi team....???

Test team really is a joke.. Cook?.. worst year for English test cricket and 3 players in playing 11?.. Smith 12th Man? No Kohli.. Kholi's record across all the formats is so superior this year.. he deserves the player of the year award.

@POMS_HAVE_SHORT_MEMORIES: Interesting. So Kolkata pitch provided for New Zealand was a dust bowl? Oh wait, it had grass on it. Chennai, Mumbai and Mohali were dust bowls too amirite? Oh wait, they weren't. All the pitches provided for England were wrongly predicted by the pundits who thought they'd turn from day 1. Looks like there weren't any rank turners. Stay bitter though.

Aus, SA, NZ and to an extent Eng struggles with spin, it is still ok. But when asian teams struggle against pacers, then it is a crime. Just talking about double standards.

My team would be. Warner. Elgar Root.williamson Kohl (cpt)de velliers (wk)ashwin woakes amir starc rabada with Yashir shah as second spinner. De kock as second keeper. And boullt as second fast bowler

RAJURAMKI, your comments on Ashwin are completely biased. While it is a fact that he has proven to be great on sub continental pitches but it is also a fact that he as not achieved anything significant on pitches outside barring WI, SL

Great achievement by Ashwin in winning the coveted twin awards of Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricket of the year and the ICC Top Test Cricketer of the Year for 2016! Ashwin is also the only Indian in the ICC Test Team of the Year 2016. He has certainly done India, his home state of Tamil Nadu and his family members proud. Wish him and other fine cricketers of India more such awards and achievements in the years to come! Way to go Ashwin, Way to go India!!

@Match_Referee: Can't digest eh! Some people always want to undermine the success of achievers !!! Who cares, the dedicated always perform and go towards their goal, no matter what.

Guys please gather information what mitchel marsh and voges done from september 2015 to 31 December 2016 as this is voting period.before commenting.

Its inevitable really, imagine if one of the top pacemen was given bouncy greentops to bowl on every match? Of course Ashwin is going to win awards if he gets dustbowls every match.

Seriously, this list must be decided by people who are clueless. How else can they leave Kohli out when he has superior average than both Cook and Root

For those who are talking about why some cricketers are not in the test and odi teams of the year, please note that their performance in the voting period was taken into account. For example Adam Voges did really well in the voting period in Tests and Kohli didn't. If the voting period was different then perhaps it would be the other way round. Same goes for Pakistan, they have played well as a team, but there hasn't been a single Pakistan player who has racked up numbers that merit inclusion in the test or odi teams of the year. One more thing I want to mention that I personally was not a fan of Ashwin but his performances have won me over as well. Barring Steyn, not many cricketers perform "amazingly" on foreign soil. So let's stop knocking the home soil advantage door. Starc and Anderson to name a couple who are lions on home soil and ferrets in Asian conditions.

The major difference between Ashwin and the rest of the leading spinners in the world is that Ashwin is an all format top class bowler. Yasir Shah, Hearth and Lyon doesn't get picked for their ODIs and T20s where as Tahir doesn't get picked for the rests. This is where Ashwin stands out - featuring in the top 10 in two formats.

Congratulations to all.winners !! Rest in peace to all haters !! Every time someone questions Ashwin's performances.....I just loved reading those comments and feel happy knowing how many people are jealous. So, plz Ashwin haters..post some more comments.

  Chandra Prashad on December 22, 2016, 14:01 GMT

Congrats to Aswin and all the other winners. However i have a problem with some of the other selections. Cook should not be the captain. The cut off period should be December of 2016 and not September. In that case,Kohli should be the captain and not Cook. I would even pick Vijay instead of Cook. What is Adam Voges doing in this 11. HE doesn't even make the Australian 11, must less the world 11! Some other decisions also like Philander instead of Steyn and Herath instead of Jadeja. The statistics do not support many of the names. You cannot say 2016 teams when the cut off is in September. If that is the case, then many excellent performances are left out for the rest of the year.

Just a doubt, the period of evaluation is not clear from the post. Is it Sept to Aug, or Oct to Sept? Post says that it is from September 15 to September 16, which is not very clear. Or is the evaluation from mid-Sept to /mid-Sept every year? Also where is it mentioned that Kohli is the captain of the ODI team? As far as i see, there is no captain named in this post for ODI team... Errata here?

Really Ashwin averages 21.90 at home and 33 away... Legend really...

Well deserved Ashwin. You can only play where the fixtures are scheduled to be played. It does seem strange to mention Voges in the same breath as many other batsmen but he did average nearly 100 in the period. The Englishmen played a lot of Tests but also scored a lot of runs. I can't recall Steyn having a particularly good year but I'm not sure. I'm suggesting a small wager on Kohli being at least in the Test team of the year in 2017 if not Captain.

Adam Voges in the test team. Ha ha ha... Everyone thought he is a class act until he reached Sri Lanka shores. Then everyone realized that he couldn't even put the bat to ball. He was good only on Aussie wickets. Now his name is missing even in the Aussie team, forget the world 11. Same can be said about Warner. Good players have to be good everywhere in the world and on any type of wicket like Sangakkara, Tendulkar & Lara. Lots of selections in the test team and the ODI team are questionable.

Haters be like :Saeed Ajmal is the No1 bowler in the World followed by Nathan Lyon and Shamsi. SMH!

Every person can be lion at home but looks like a poor lamb in foreign soil. It's not a great achievement that Indians won at their dusty home ground. We will see how many wickets Mr Asbin will bag when they travel SA, Aus and England. So, I advise ICC to introduce a new pointing system to give relative lesser mark for home series than away series for the team as we as for the players. Kamal

Even after Ashwin retires from cricket with 5000 test runs , 600 test wickets and good number of wickets in the shorter formats , so called Ashwin bashers will continue to say that he is only good in India . Best response to such critics is to ignore them and ask them to do some homework analysing the performance of other bowlers . Certainly these critics are always looking for opportunity to belittle Ashwin's achievements. ICC and the experts who chooses the awardees have more cricketing knowledge than these critics .

Well done Ashwin ! He will now need to continue his performances overseas, so that this Ind team can win in Aus, SA, NZ and Eng.

why is that there is no single player from Pakistan despite performing in all weathers ?

Congratz to man like FIZZ, well deserved bro!! Congratz to rest of the award winers aswell

Great Ashwin... you deserve it. Now the only frontier to conquer is, match winning performances overseas, which will happen for sure. keep going!

ashwin record during that period - Batting -- 10 12 1 407 118 37.00

Bowling -- 10Mat 18Inns 401.0ovrs 106Mdns 1079runs 62 Wkts 7/66BBI 12/98BBM 17.40(avg) 2.69(econ) 38.8(SR) 7(5wkts) 2(10wkts)

Starc - Batting - 6 10 4 121 28* 20.16;

Bowling -- 6 11 193.1 48 666 37 6/50 11/94 18.00 3.44 31.3 3 1

This is difference b/w starc n Ashwin some ppl said Starc is correct choice, Ashiw played 6home n 4away matches for Starc 3 each for home n away..... Sub continent players n spinners need to prove their skill in pace n bouncy pitches but aussies n english no need to prove ability in Spin friendly pitches coz as per der logic fast bowling is real one in cricket spinners nothing but waste.... Cricinfo pls publish

Congrats Ashwin - proud an Indian player has won this leading award of ICC Cricketer of the Year. Guess the reason Virat Kohli is not in ICC's Test team is that his brilliant form & three double centuries in particular came at the end of 2016 & just outside the qualifying period. Anyway if he carries this impressive form into next year, he will surely be a leading candidate for this award next year. Seasonal greetings to all!

Yasir Shah the quickest to 100 wickets in asia ? in a same year ? nowhere to be found.

more like 2015 awards given the selection period. Lets call it test team of 2015-16 season

Cook who lost 8 matches as captain is leading the ICC team. Virat Kohli with 3 double hundred and 1 hundred is not in team, Adam voges who cannot bat unless bowler is from westinides is a player in the team. Who are these selectors? Amazing.

Tests: Kohli should have picked over Adam Voges and Philander in place of Steyn.

ODI's: Sunil Narine and Tahir is questionable..

Starc deserves series award.

ELECTRIC_POGO ON DECEMBER 22, 2016, 12:03 GMT...Best team of the year in Australia, three whitewashes across the formats (ODI- SA, tests- SL, T20's- India) and 85 all out in HOME is the best innings of the year by a team

Home Condition Cricketer of the year. Home pitches cricketer of the year. Home laws and Drs not using cricketer of the year, wow what a cricketer

Best catch of the year definitely goes to "Sir Jadeja" who took very difficult catch of bairstow running back.

Cook as captain of ICC Team Of The Year ?? And captain ?? IS this some kind of a joke ? Especially when Cook has failed miserably in Bangladesh and India, and India is the No 1 team ? Kohli does not find a place ? Let alone as captain ?? This isi ridiculous

Wow no Virat Kohli in the ICC test team. they'd definitely loose to India

No Yasir in team of the year? Seriously?

  Ankit Kumar on December 22, 2016, 13:00 GMT

I think it's high time ICC should also have a T20 Cricketer of the Year, instead of T20 Performance of the year (1 innings). When the awards started, the no. of T20s played were very few. Now that there are more T20s played and also a T20 ranking in place, there should be a T20 cricketer of the year award also. Kohli would have won it this year for sure. *wink* *wink*

Guys who want Kohli in test team of the year and to be awarded Cricketer of the year havent considered the voting period. Between Sep 2015 to Sep 2106 his test batting record in 538 runs from 10 matches @ 38 avg. ICC have experts to choose the winners and they would have their reasons for the selections.

Only debatable thing is appointing Cook as captain. But considering Smith hasnt done well and Kohli is not in the team I cant think of anyone else.

HASHIMBAIG ON DECEMBER 22, 2016, 12:39 GMT...Kohli scored nearly 500 runs in ODI in Aus in this year and against superior bowling attack of SA...

Well, that really puts an end to the endless MVP debate, I guess

Ashwin's awards are well-earned. He is a fantastic and sometimes under-appreciated contributor to the Indian team. If he is not giving batsmen fits with the ball, he is frustrating bowlers with his stubborn tail-end batting. One of my favorite cricketers. Well done, Ashwin. From a Pakistani fan.

@ELECTRIC_LOCO_WAP4: Test Team of the year: Indian test team of Chennai test against England 2016.

Alastair Cook as captain of the test team of the year! Thats got to be a joke right?

Clearly Ashwin is the top player at the moment. Nothing more to add. But the really pleasing award is to Misbah for Spirit of Cricket. From the Lords debacle to this is a phenomenal achievement for the Pak team and all thanks to Misbah. If only all Captains played with the same generosity and grace, cricket would once again be a gentleman's game.

I totally agree with the award given to Quinton De Kock, because he has scored runs in different countries compared to Kohli, who I think has scored most of his runs at his own backyard.

No doubt that Kohli is a wonderful cricketer, and should have been in the tests as well.

To round off my comment, I felt that Starc, despite his recent couple of injuries, should have been named test cricketer of the year.

Ashwin is a good bowler, but over 70% of his wickets are at home.

anyone remember a b de Villiers ok he has not played because of injury but surely still amongst the very best batsmen in world

@cricfan34738516 That is an anamoly. Agreed that Strac was brilliant in SL, but SL's fragile batting line(J silva, karunarathne, K perara) made it look extraordinary! Let him repeat the same in Ind next year to arrive any conclusion!!

Ashwin- All format player Jadaja-All format player Tahir-odi,t20 Lyon-Test Yasir-Test Hearth-Test in majority, Odi(Some level only) So dont speak overseas etc here

Surprising!!! Only Ashwin figures in the test team of the year, while four Englishmen are seen there (Root, Bairstow, Stokes and Cook). Cook the captain of the team???? Kohli not figuring. I think, Voges place should have gone to Kohli. Steyn has not played much cricket. Broad/Boult would have been a better choice

@OPTO_PUS You gave the away figures, not the average outside of Asia. Believe it or not as you wish, but India is not the only country in the Asian region. Actually, it is not even the only country in that region that plays cricket. So average away and average outside Asia are two very, very different things.

@DEE_D and others only look for batting. Wont interest to speak about bowling.Ashwin got 79 wickets(test, odi, t20) and got two test century(Both in abroad). Got wickets(t20 AND ODI) in all places Australia ETC

All bow down to World's Most valuable player in test cricket Mr Ashwin.. Haters keep on hating him whereas he will bag awards one after another

Best test team of the year is australia. 3-0 in SL, 2-1 against SA with 85 all out being cherry on the cake.

Test team of the year- 1. Warner,2. Cook,3. Smith(c),4. Root,5. Kane,6. Younis,7. Sarfaraz,8. Starc,9. Aamir,10. Herath,11. Boult. ODI team of year- 1. Warner,2. D Kock,3. Smith,4. Root,5. Duminy,6. Marsh,7. F'kner,8. Moeen,9. Starc,10. Boult,11. Rabada.

A brilliant bowler and a fair batsman,it seems there is not stopping this cricketing juggernaut. He could challenge Kapil Dev as India's finest all rounder. He had the ball on a string last year and his variations were always teasing and telling. magic!

@Dibasic, I agree with you Ashwin has not done noteworthy outside SC. Herath deserved to be name the Test player of the year with simple action & effective all over.

DEE_D Check 78 wickets(Both in abroad and india) and 2 hundreds is very less? Virat kholi also equal to player of awards. But bowler deserve more than batsman

@ electric_loco_WAP4 : True, starc is a threat to his own team. He is scoring double centuries with the ball at will.

Ashwin and jadeja can play all three formats. Jadeja(Batting+Bowling+Fielding) better in odi. Ashwin(Bowling alone) better in T20. Ashwin(Batting+Bowling) better in test . So critics go away. Tahir, Hearth, lyon, yasir etc cant play three format. So dont include overseas etc. Atleast Ashwin, jadeja performed well in overseas for small format

  Ankit Kumar on December 22, 2016, 12:10 GMT

@DIBASIC - Do you know Ashwin's best bowling figures during this period was a 7-wkt haul in an innings in West Indies! And geographically, West Indies is near America, not in India.

  Ankit Kumar on December 22, 2016, 12:08 GMT

After gazing through the previous 120 comments, I realized that most of the people are not aware of the period that was considered for this award i.e. 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016. I think this should be mentioned upfront in this article as well. Some people are raising questions why Kohli is not in the Test team, reminding about the 'fresh in memory' Ind vs Eng series where Kohli scored 655 runs. However, the period will be in next year's award period. Kohli will surely be considered not only for the Test Team of the year, but will also have a good chance at winning the Test Player of the Year. Same goes for Ashwin who has already taken 50+ wickets after 20th September 2016 and there are still 5 tests to go. Even Jadeja will have a good chance of getting selected in the Test team.

Root (1272 runs), Cook(1269 runs) and Bairstow(1246 runs) were the top 3 run getters in this period and therefore all of them are in the Test team. For India, the highest was Rahane(only 509 runs)

@DIBASIC He got 1 man of series awards in abroad(Bowling+ batting) and got odi wickets and t20 wickets in abroad. See worldcup(Australia) and champion trophy(England) its contribution

Not a bigggg fan of Kohli but still come on,, Just look at Kohli's stats.. He scored about 3 and a half thousand runs this year across formats and still not a single award?

@Dibasic, I agree with you Ashwin has not done noteworthy outside SC. Herath deserved to be name the Test player of the year with simple action & effective all over.

Best catch of the year- 'Superman' Smith!!!

@OPTO_PUS Ashwin given award not only for bowling and also for batting. In 29 wickets T20 he take that in Australia etc. He got 3 man of series awards. One in west indies(Both bat and ball)

Ahahahaha Ashwin bowling average in overseas in 100 but i will give him 99.9 :D

How did Ravindra Jadeja make it to the ODI team? according to the Statsguru from 2015 he has played 16 + ODI matches and has taken less than one wicket per match with an average economy rate of more than 5 . if they were looking for a spinner who can bat a bit then they should have considered Shikibul Hassen who is far better batsman and a bowler than Jadeja .

3 MAN OF SERIES IN TEST(1 in abroad for both bat and ball)AND 29 WICKETS in t20 and two test century Ashwin deserve cricketer of award

A.JAYAWARDENE dont forget ashwin got Man of Series in your place also

Shami is better than Steyn. I mean are you kidding me? What has Steyn done? And also, Cook, lost like more than 50% or matches and is captain? VK not selected. Thisis a complete joke, you gotta be kidding me!!!

VK has averages of 38 for tests, 62.60 in ODIs and 85.62 for t20Is during this period, how come he is not the player of the year? DA Warner 56.66 50.18 23.80 JE Root 55.30 55.35 34.90 Q de Kock 77.00 (4 test macthes only) 65.81 32.71 SPD Smith 66.93 44.33 24.71

How did VK lost even in the considered period is beyond comprehension. Cricinfo please publish

Mr. Ashwin is good no doubt. But most of his success in India.

  Ankit Kumar on December 22, 2016, 11:52 GMT

@ ELECTRIC_LOCO_WAP4 - Unfortunately for you, Awards are being given not for being threats. They are being given on the basis of performance. For making runs. For taking wickets. You may check Starc's records in Statsguru in the Sep 15 - Aug 16 period for more clarification why he didn't get the award.

So frustrating to see the repeated comments on India playing at home for a long time. It takes very less time to deduce that India had been playing all tests overseas, between 2013-15 before the home matches started. Again after Aus series in 2017, they will start to travel. There is no runaway from the away test series and all know that. Stop crying about Indian mere success at home and just analyse how Your teams are good at your own den. Aus lost to SA, SA lost to Eng, Pak lost to WI (of course for 1 match) in their own houses. So the fans of teams, which can't win consistently at home are envying about a team which is winning continuously at home. So Pity.

@Albert Hofmann dustbowls which last for 5 days as seen in latest test series against England. Comm'on man, the guy did a good job throughout the year. Give some credit where it is due.

Congrats to Herath. Wonderful bloke with simple action not like others which call to question. I too feel there are more deserving players than Ashwin for this trophy. Probably the recent euphoria in the Test series went for his advantage.

What is the point in declaring ICC ODI and test team of the year , if they are not gonna play anywhere in the world against any team ?

"Hometown hero bagging awards with a bowling average of 54 outside of Asia." Ashwins bowling average is 24.96 at a strike rate of 51.3. His home average like most bowlers is better at 21.90 with a strike rate of 47.3, his away record is average is 33.23 with a strike rate of 62.1. Where are you getting a bowling average of 54 outside Asia from, SA : 1 match played no wickets, WI : 23.17, England :33.66, Australia is the only country he has struggled to take wickets in but even Graeme Swann struggled in Australia with an average of 79.48, i was amazed to find Swann averaged 122.58 a wicket in Bangladesh and 110.71 in WI that i 60 matches to Ashwins 44 test matches so far. Bangladesh and Austalia next, If he plays all five he will still be short of 50 matches but 248 wickets from 44 matches is very good by any standards.

What about innings of the year prize?

I personally belive Kohli's innings against Australia in WT20 was innings of the year. Braithwaite's innings was special, but it was just like a cracker that lasted only 4 deliveries. So Kohli's innings was better.

Hearty congratulations to R Ashwin for winning the most coveted awards of ICC Cricketer of the year and ICC Test cricketer of the year. R Ashwin has been given these awards for his immense contributions with both bat and ball in the said period of Sept. 2015 to Aug. 2016. Regarding Kohli's performances, he should have been given the T20 award in at least shorter formats of the game. His innings against Australia in World T20 QF definitely deserved something. And for ODI player award, I think it should have been given to Warner for his extraordinary performances all over the world.

Virat Kholi not in the Test team, and Cook captain of Test Team! You have got to be kidding.

How does VK is not player of the year? All 3 formats he has hit the ground running and oppositions all over the world are running scared. There is something amiss here. The article does not even show his stats from this period

Jadeja in odi team!!! Seriously !!! Its a shame!!

Starc should've been the cricketer of the year. An unilateral threat in all formats in all conds irrespective of playing surfaces. Btw,how good is Warner. Ruling the roost at the top of the order in both the ICC-test,ODI -teams...

If david warner is only 1 in both team so gr8 then he must be ICC cricketer of the year. Indian team will beat this test team at home after retaining ashwin.

The period for consideration is Sep 2015 - Sep 2016. Most of Kohli's test runs were from Oct - Dec 2016. I havent checked the stats for this period, but people criticizing should first check the stats and then comment.

lol Voges sure... he has a healthy average

If you include Adam Voges in the team but not Kohli and keep Smith as 12th man, it shows the credibility of the selectors. Laughable. Move on guys. Nothing to see here.

Many Congratulations to Mr. Fizz.....I think many more recognition to come in the form of Best ICC Test/ODI/T20 Cricketer of the year...so keep delivering.

  Albert Hofmann on December 22, 2016, 11:12 GMT

Well done to Ashwin, for taking so many wickets on doctored dust bowls that they call pitches in india. Huge achievement! U are def the best player on your own home dust bowls. Its a good thing that india dominates all the decisions at the ICC, otherwise u might have to play away from home from time to time.

My hearty congratulations to R Ashwin for winning the most coveted awards of ICC Cricketer of the year and ICC Test cricketer of the year.

R Ashwin has given these awards for his immense contributions with both bat and ball in the said period of Sept. 2015 to Aug. 2016.

Regarding Kohli's performances, he should have been given the T20 award in at least shorter formats of the game. His innings against Australia in World T20 QF definitely deserved something.

And for ODI player award, I think it should have been given to Warner for his extraordinary performances all over the world.

That's a pretty scary ODI unit .! Top openers , Solid middle order , Savages in the form of batsmen in the lower order , two of the most economical spinners atm and a pace battery that's always charged up . Shouts out to whoever selected that X1 . Can't say the same about the Test unit .

Harrycs: Starc in Sri Lanka would be one example but you go ahead and keep those blinkers on :)

Ashwin as a batsman has outperformed Rohit this year.

well done Ashwin.A player who is the number one bowler and allrounder in the world truly deserves the best cricketer of the year award.Winning seven man of the series awards in such a short career is a huge accomplishment.His performances with ball and bat were great this season and had a great impact on series victories.

Kudos Herath, you are an absolute genius ( not to Herath_UK).

Congratulations and certainly well deserved! I can see the usual trolls already commenting on the fact that he gets most wickets at home and blah blah blah. Well like it or not this is indeed something Ashwin needs to address going forward. Like his current coach Kumble who found ways to become more effective overseas in the latter half of his career, so too will Ashwin have to crack this next puzzle!

dont forget last six of afridi at the last ball of the last over of asia cup

so many people can't read that the period in question is between Sept 2015 and Sept 2016

so so so so so so so so sad

Adam Voges & Cook is test team, but not Kohli...Voges failed big time after the home series against WI & NZ...Williamson is also not effective this year...notable point is not a single player from Pak

In ODI team, Marsh & Sunil Narine selection is weird...not so good choices by ICC this year

congrats to Ashwin. there would have been a fight for 12th man between smith kholi and mathews i guess.

Imran Tahir has consistently been the best ODI bowler in the world for the last 3 years. Just check his record and then come back to me if you dare to disagree,

this does not end the debate because he got most wickets in india or against the west indies

Chaps, I was surprised as anyone else to see Kohli not included. But when I had a look at his performance over the period September 15 - September 16, I begin to undertsnad why.

He had a fairly average series against South Africa in Nov/Dec 2015, and then other than a 200 against West Windies; he had another quiet series thereafter.

He doesn't even get full credit for his 200 against West Indies which was on 8 October 2016 !

Hopefully the judges are consistent next year and remember these fine performances at the begining of the 2016/17 season.

Virat Kohli, having been named the ODI Captain of the year, should pave way for MS Dhoni to finally try and persuade himself to retire from all formats now. I cannot remember when was it last that MSD made a difference in a T20 or an ODI match by way of any discernible skills--and not with the help of "astrological" forces!

@EVDA_CHETA ON DECEMBER 22, 2016, 9:43 GMT if chosen players can get this award for bowling or batting in subcontinent especially India then this award has some relevance.

As big a fan as I am of Steyn, he played 1 full test during the voting period. Just 1. The Indians complaining about no kohli, must know that only the series against SA (poor) and vs WI were counted. Cook has 1 century in the period. Votes gets in because of the free runs he got against WI and NZ. Overall its a poor team with no real basis for selection so don't cry over it.

what's wrong with subcontinent pitch ..a cricketer should play anywhere..is Australia or or England the hallmark of performance..if they cannot play in subcontinent then they are not global powers

A magnificent cricketer wins the top two awards. Bravo Ashwin!! Wish you continued success. Congrats to all other awardees too! Richly deserved.

were the judges out of their mind, when forming the test team? How can Cook be in the team and that too as a captain, when he lost in India and couldn't win in Bangladesh? Adam Voges, Seriously?, Then why would he be dropped from aus team. Where is Kohli? I am only convinced with Root, Bairstow, ashwin, starc and Herath in the playing XI

My team would be warner(not at his best, but best opener this year),root,kohli,bairstow,stevesmith,ashwin,starc,herath,stokes,jadeja,kcbrathwaite,rabada, 12man:Yasirshah

Actually I love Jadeja the cricketer but can't understand how he got into the ODI team of the year....I think he played only 1 odi series in aus where he did nothing special.....should have been included in the test team instead

For all those asking why NOT Kholi?, This is from Sept -Sept so Kholi 650+ runs from Eng series are not counted. Hope you get it

Congrats to Herath from a Herath. Keep the name up mate! Truly deserve your accolade getting to the top of your game.

this puts an end to the debate of Ashwin vs yasir

guys commenting here asking why Kohli is not in test team or not selected as cricketer of the year, etc. would be better served if they understand the voting period for this selection. It's between Sep 2015 and Sep 2016 and not between Jan 2016 and Dec 2016. Hence Kohli's recent success against NZ and Eng are not included and will be considered next year.

Kohli should have replaced the Over rated steve smith

Congratulations to all the winners of the ICC awards. I am particularly happy for Ravichandran Ashwin, my home boy, for winning both the Cricketer of the Year and the Test player of the year. Pleasing achievement. I am sure it will encourage him to work harder and produce more better results on and off the field. Thanks to ICC for the recognition of all the efforts.

Whatever these guys are thinking about Kane Williamson but he was literally avg in both the formats this year. Why are you guys are defending Kane here?? He was pretty good in 2015 but this year he wasn't that great. He shouldn't have placed in tests.

Hometown hero bagging awards with a bowling average of 54 outside of Asia.

Ashwin truly deserves the award. As a SA fan, I am also happy for de Kock. I remember how our batsmen were clueless against ashwin when we toured India.

Congrats to Ashwin, well played throughout the year and thoroughly deserved for this prestigious award.

no pakistani in test team?

What a joke of a test team is it, if Virat Kohli in the form of his life does not get a place in it? Voges easily should be replaced by Kohli. Huhh..

I think India has played maximum of their matches in India only and this could be the reason why Kohli is not there and even Yasir Shah is also missing out. Ashwin made because of complete allround performances. Jadeja is just an ordinary allrounder and completely in effective outside subcontinent. England has played very good cricket they just had one bad tour of India.

if ashwin can get this award for bowling outside subcontinent then this award has some relevance.

Cricketer of the year should be across all format which lead to only one choice i.e. Kohli. Alas! don't know how they heck they make their choices

Just noticed. So Virat Kohli who averaged 80 with three double centuries and having 9 test wins as captain in the calendar year isn't in the test XI, yet despite getting humiliated 4-0 and losing against BD and a failed tour with the bat in India, Cook is made the captain? Were ECB selectors of the ICC test X!?

Well Kohli should be in the team but then you find the period being selected from is Sept 15 - Sept 16. His record is probably still good enough but with the timing of the announcement it feels like its been done for after the conclusion of the Ind v Eng & Aus v Pak series so looks odd.

Three double hundreds and yet Kohli not in Test Team?

Yes Ashwin deserved test player award . He has been superb not only in bowling but batting as well. Many are asking for Kohli. and actually that is true. he has been good in all formats so may be crickter of the year should have gone to Kohli. But Ashwin was also good. Congratulations to every one. well done to Misbah to bag that award.

It's a matter of great pride for ashwin and for India. Icc cricketer of the year is one of the highest recognitions in the game of cricket. So well done to him and our heartiest congratulations

Though I respect and admire Steyn. He don't deserve a place this year. It should be Broad in for Steyn. Kane was fantastic last year but this year he should be replaced by Kohli. What the heck Voges is doing there? Ali is 10 times better than Voges. In Odi, S Smith in for ABD ( respect him a lot), Zampa in for Naraine and Boult in for Imran Tahir. I T20, Brathwaite innings was great against Eng in WC final but Kohli was invincible throughout that series. Anyway winning the cup is important. Fair enough.

Regarding the test team, it is hard to see why a guy who comfortably averages at least 15 more than his competition, and is in the top 5 run-scorers this year (despite playing 5 matches less than any of them), cannot find a place in the World Test XI. Equally hard to see is the reasoning behind having a captain who, this year, has got the dubious all-time record of most test losses in a calendar year as captain of his country. Am i missing something obvious here, or is this test team puzzling to everyone?

On what basis Dale Steyn,Adam Voges,Mitchell Marsh, Imran Tahir comes into ICC eleven!!

It is very funny that 'cook,Joe Root, Adam Voges, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes ' appeared in Test team and Kohli not in the team!!

Sathakaeni: Who isJaddu or or Paddu? Never heard of him

Please see three man of series awards Ashwin got that period +27 wicket in 19 t20. So he deserved cricketer of year. In that period kholi test average less. If full 2016 then koli may get cricketer of year award. Ashwin perfom well in West Indies with both bat and ball.

  Naman Agarwal on December 22, 2016, 9:29 GMT

This test team of the year and ODI team of the year is weird. Adam Voges is in the test team? Seriously? He has performed only against WI and NZ, that too at home. Outside, he has been awful. Misbah or Younis will be a much better choice for No. 5. Also, as much as I love Dale Steyn, he has played just 2-3 half innings in the last year. How come he is in the team? Shouldn't it be Rabada/Abbott/Broad in place of him? Also, Smith as the 12th man seems kinda harsh but it is always a tough choice with him and Williamson. Also, Mitchell Marsh and Jadeja are in the ODI XI? Seriously? Tell me the last time Mitchell Marsh performed well. How can you not include Chris Morris?

Congrats to Ashwin. No one deserves more than him. However, The ICC test team looks like the JOKE of the year. How comes 'cooked' Cook captain the team and 'overrated' Voges feature in it?

Kudos Ravi Ashwin. If sheer cricketing performance across formats is considered, Virat scores miles ahead of others. However on an overall consideration including "Gentleman spirit" as defined by conventional British Cricket wisdom, probably Ashwin scored better than Virat specially in the initial part of the year. Probably, that is the reason none of the Aussies got any award. Yes, 2016-17 should see more Indians getting awards with brilliant performances already.

@HARRYCS How about pacers taking wickets(plenty) in subcontinent ie Starc, stein etc?

@ FAN1969 - Spot on. Dhoni may be past his best but he's a much better keeper than PP, Saha, Ojha, Sanju etc. He should be in the team for his keeping alone and ability to pull off outrageous stumpings and runouts which NO keeper in the world can do today

Virat kohli omitted but Adam voges in the test team of 2016.. joke of the millennium.. don't have time to waste on such comic series. So no other comments

72 wickets and 612 runs in a calender year. Well deserved R Ashwin

Congrats Mustafizur. From an Indian fan.

Have to feel sorry for Kohli though. Guy averages 75.93 in tests, 92.37 in ODIs, and 106.83 in T20Is and still does not get any award... may be next year, Virat.

Congratulations Ashwin, you deserved all the accolades coming your way. It is always a great feeling to see a bowler taking top honours in a world dominated by batsmen. Hats off to this great offspin bowler, a gem that India has produced.

The ICC Test team is an absolute farce. No Kohli.. no jaddu and cook being the captain. so many Eng players.. really ridiculous..

Many congratulations to Ashwin, this guy truly deserves this award. Dream year he had with both bat & ball. congrats to other players who won the award too.

Why isn't Boult in any of the teams when he is number one ODI bowler?

Kohli not in test team???

Like many, Kohli should have ideally be awarded *cricketer of the year*, but Ash's performance is nothing short of that as well! Congrats to QDK & Fizz :) @fayyaz03 Great display of gentlemanship mate! :)

  Sandeep Sundaram on December 22, 2016, 9:14 GMT

No Place for Virat Kohli in Test team :O really surprising. I know Adam Voges scored runs , but really did he perform better than Kohli in this period.

Congrats to Ashwin. But Kohli deserves Cricketer of the year and performed outstanding with avg Test: 76 . . ODI: 92.4 T20I: 107. Really outstanding year.

I am an Indian but I can not count Ashwin as a Cricketer of the year. It can be Kane or Root .. who at least played well in all conditions (Kane played well in recent series in India according to me). Well as far as Kohli is concerned I still doubt as a Cricketer of the year (at least in this year, however, he performed well like a run machine as I would still want him to score big in England or outside of sub-continent, just want to see him a few times more and consistently to shut few mouths). De Cock, Fiz, Carlos good choices.

I don't know why people criticize Ashwin here. Totally deserved everything. He got 72 wickets with 3 10wicket hauls(2 NZ, 1 ENG), 8 5wicket hauls (2 in WI, 1 NZ, 2 ENG) and with bat 616 runs with 2 100s (both in WI), 4 50s. HE HAS TAKEN WICKETS IN GOOD PITCHES NOT THE RANK TURNERS. So many records has been broken in this time span. 2nd fastest to reach 200 wickets. Getting 25 wickets and 300 runs in a series. Ranked No. 1 Test bowler. Ranked No.1 All rounder. He is going to be the fastest to reach 250 by succeeding Dennis Lillee.

Congratulations to all but especially Mustafizur for bringing something new to the art of bowling.

ICC ODI Team of the Year: V Kohli (c), D Warner, Q De Kock, Mr. Rohit Sharma, AB De Villiers, J Buttler, Mitchell Marsh, R Jadeja, M Starc, K Rabada, S Narine, Tahir ICC Test Team of the Year: D Warner, A Cook (c), K Williamson, J Root, A Voges, J Bairstow, B Stokes, R Ashwin, R Herath, M Starc, D Steyn, S Smith.

Congrats to all of those who have been awarded & specially to the" Fizz". Surely the best bowler of the world in any condition. You are the pride of BD cricket.

Virat Kohli has been phenomenal across all the three formats. Ashwin was good only in Tests, with home advantage. Kohli deserves the 'Cricketer of the Year' award. Ashwin will be a non-performer when India tours abroad. They got it quite right with Quinton de Kock and Brathwaite though.

@khsaiful what about his batting stats?.. Any excuses there to demean his batting stats like how you demeaned his bowling by called all his wickets came in rank turners?...Surely one way or the other he is the much deserved player for those awards..

Congrats to Ashwin. I bet, you did good to get that. Because only Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid got it earlier. All the best!

  Vijay Badri on December 22, 2016, 8:54 GMT

People who are lamenting that Ashwin doesnt deserve the Cricketer of the Year award should go and check the statistics of number of test matches every team had played at home and away during the voting period. That is a key factor to be considered.

Ash is a legend and he might very well win this next year as well. For this award from Sep 14 2015 to Sep 20 2016 time period he has taken 48 wickets and scored 336 runs. Now from Sep 21 2016 till date he has already taken 55 wickets and score close to 375 runs. With a minimum of 5 more tests coming up, he is in the running for next year as well for both Cricketer of the year and Test Cricketer of the year

Great news for Ashwin. Congrats.

Bit surprised that ICC votes Virat as ODI captain when he does not even captain India. This will put added pressure on Dhoni. While I love Virat, he can wait to take over as ODI and T20 Captain.

Dhoni is not his best but still better than Patel, Saha, Dinesh Karthik, Naman Ojha, Samson. Cannot judge Rishabh Pant as not seen enough of him. Will still like Dhoni to captain for some more time.

Many congratulations Ash. Now perform well in Australia England and South Africa and prove your critics wrong. Even a county stint will help. You can miss the IPL for a few

Ashwin has been largely a failure outside the subcontinent and WI with bat and ball. At least, since India played all of their test cricket in these conditions, I can understand him being name *test cricketer of the year* But no way is he *cricketer of the year*. Ashwin has an athleticism of one-legged giraffe and his fielding skills are enough to not consider him for the award. His bowling skills are no more than decent in the ODIs or has no batting achievements in the shorter formats whatsoever. Virat Kohli, and by some distance, is the 2016 Cricketer of the Year across all formats.

People who talks about ashwin taking wickets on turning pitches forget it's same with pacers on seaming wickets. This is geography

congrats Ashwin well bowled

Congrats Fizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Congrats to all, Shahzad bhai bravo.

Congrats Ashwin ! Keep going ...

Well done Mustafizur on his award which fits nicely with the ESPN debutant of the year accolade he got earlier this year. Having just comeback from injury and ready to play in NZL, we hope to see more fun and entertainment.

Yes Ashwin was no doubt cricketer of year as he performed with bat and ball. Congratulations to all who won. Well done Misbah for his award

congrats to the "Fizz"..surely the best bowler of the world in any condition...you are the pride of BD cricket..

Congrats Ashwin..Fanstastic Achievement..

  Naman Agarwal on December 22, 2016, 8:24 GMT

Congrats to everyone!! Well deserved Test Cricketer of the year for Ashwin. Alhough I don't quite agree with Cricketer of the year. Kohli or Root or Warner would've been better options. These guys performed extraordinarily in all 3 formats keeping in mind that the voting period was between 14 Sep 2015 to 20 Sep 2016. Surprising that after the year Kohli just had, he didn't win a single award. Tough choices anyway. Surely, in the T20 performance of the year, Kohli's innings against Australia is right up there. But at the same time, I was bamboozled, like everyone else when Brathwaite hit those 4 sixes, that being the final over of the final.

Every name was expected except that R Ashwin. He did same what Miraz did in BD. In sub-continent pitch such performances are routine for spinners. Harbhajan did the same once. However, Virat would have been the better choice than Ashwin.

A truly deserving award to Ashwin for all the hard work put in by him during the last 18 months . He is a legend in the making and will get many such awards in the future . Good going Ashwin and keep it up .

If India tours overseas for a full season, then Ashwin may get "Silent cricketer of the year" and "Non testing test player of the year"

I thought Kohli should've gotten Cricketer of the Year. Look at his captaincy and batting across all formats and his averages for the whole year. Ashwin deserves it too I guess, but I veer towards Kohli more due to his limited-overs and test prowess. Good Emerging Talent award to Mustafiz as well, and QDK was also good pick for ODI. Braitwhaite was also good choice

Ashwin is certainly test player of the year, but VIRAT KOHLI should be the cricketer of the year as he scored runs at more than 70 average in all three formats and took India to No.1 position in tests...ok no issues as both are the most valued players of our team...wish them success in upcoming endeavours...congratulations for all awardees

Congrats to all the winners! All of them are worthy winners!

@rough_fan: not at all mate. Ashwin deserve it. He is a champ. kudos to him.

What a player. He will get 1500 test wkts in test at this rate. The best all rounder ever.

Thats great news for indian cricket fans. well done ashwin.

If any country asked to choose one player to get into the team first and foremost, it will be surely Ashwin's name.. He is MVP of world cricket

Ashwin did deserve test cricketer of year. But Kohli was certainly cricket of the year. Did much more than Ashwin in shorter formats and matched ashwin in tests if you include his captaincy to his batting. De kock and braithwaite was quite right though.

Most deserving award to Master Spin bowler Ashwin who has demolished lot of teams all by himself..Not to forget his batting as well..Congrats Champ..

Congrats R Ashwin, for the feat. Way to go Ashwin, you are a legend in making. --Selvam T

Congratulations to Ashwin!!... Deserve this!!....

Congrats to all the winners. Fully deserved.

Well Done Ashwin many more success to follow, all the best

A fitting reply to those who criticize Aswin. Congratulations. I can see a lot of broken hearts of our neighbour):