Dhoni,Gambhir,Bhajji in running to match Dravid’s feat

None from India was able to match the middle order stalwart’s feat between 2005 and 2008.

This year captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni,opener Gautam Gambhir and off spinner Harbhajan Singh have been named in the long list of nominees for various awards.

Dhoni,Gambhir and Harbhajan are also in the running to get the Test Player of the Year award along with wristy batsman V V S Laxman,besides 15 others.

Dhoni has also been named in the list of nominees for the ODI Player of the Year award along with compatriots Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag.

Leg spinner Amit Mishra has got the chance to become the Emerging Player of the Year four years after out-of-favour left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan won it.

Australian Simon Taufel is in the running to make it six-in-a-row as the top umpire of the year at the awards ceremony in Johannesburg,South Africa,on October 1.

The following are the past award winners:

Cricketer of the Year:

Rahul Dravid (Ind) 2004

Jaques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (Eng) -2005

Ricky Ponting (Aus) 2006

Ricky Ponting 2007

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) 2008.

Test Player of the Year:

Rahul Dravid 2004

Jaques Kallis – 2005

Ricky Ponting 2006

Mohd Yusuf (Pak) 2007

Dale Steyn (SA) 2008.

ODI Player of the Year:

Andrew Flintoff 2004

Kevin Pietersen (Eng) 2005

Michael Hussey (Aus) 2006

Mathew Hayden (Aus) 2007

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind) – 2008.

Emerging Player of the Year:

Irfan Pathan (Ind) 2004

Kevin Pietersen 2005

Ian Bell (Eng) 2006

Shaun Tait (Aus) 2007

Ajantha Mendis (SL) – 2008.

T20 Player of the Year:

Yuvraj Singh – 2008.

Woman Cricketer of the Year:

Karen Rolton (Aus) – 2006

Jhulan Goswami (Ind) 2007

Charlotte Edwards (Eng) – 2008.

Umpire of the Year:

Simon Taufel (Aus) – 2004 to 2008