Australian Test star Mitchell Johnson has been nominated for the prestigious ICC Cricketer of the Year Award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.
Johnson will join South Africa captain AB de Villiers and Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka as players shortlisted for the 2013-14 season award.
Johnson was also nominated alongside Test opener David Warner for the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
The 33-year-old Johnson revived an ailing Test career late last year with a stunning performance in the Ashes series on home soil, collecting 37 wickets in the host nation’s 5-0 sweep.
His good form continued during Australia’s 2-1 series win in South Africa before taking six wickets as Australia suffered embarrassing losses to Pakistan in the recent two-match series in the United Arab Emirates.
Last year captain Michael Clarke became Australia’s first winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy since Johnson claimed the award back in 2009.
Warner will battle it out with Johnson, 2012 winner Sangakkara and Matthews for Test Cricketer of the Year after smashing 1,066 runs and six centuries across eight Tests.
Both Johnson and Warner were named in the ICC’s Test Team of the Year on Thursday while Tasmania duo George Bailey and James Faulkner were part of the ODI Team of the Year.
Aussie Meg Lanning has been nominated for ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.
ICC Test Team of the Year 2014
David Warner (Aus), Kane Williamson (NZ), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), AB de Villiers (SA), Joe Root (Eng), Angelo Mathews (SL) (captain), Mitchell Johnson (Aus), Stuart Broad (Eng), Dale Steyn (SA), Rangana Herath (SL),Tim Southee (NZ), Ross Taylor (NZ) (12th man)
ICC ODI Team of the Year 2014
Mohammad Hafeez (Pak), Quinton de Kock (SA), Virat Kohli (Ind), George Bailey (Aus), AB de Villiers (SA), MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper) (captain), Dwayne Bravo (WI), James Faulkner (Aus), Dale Steyn (SA), Mohammad Shami (Ind), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Rohit Sharma (Ind) (12th man)
Photo: Saeed Khan/Getty Images
