Tony Becca

THE ICC Awards for 2007 will be announced at a gala function in the luxurious Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Monday, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the former West Indies captain, is among those in the running to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as the Cricketer of the Year.

Based on performances between August 9, 2006, and August 8, 2007, the awards are in their fourth year. The previous winners were Rahul Dravid of India in 2004, Andrew Flintoff of England and Jacques Kallis of South Africa in 2005, and Ricky Ponting of Australia in 2006, and on Monday, they will be joined by one of Chanderpaul, Kevin Pietersen of England, Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan, or Ponting, who is gunning for two in a row.

Selectors and judges

The four players were selected by former players, Sunil Gavaskar of India - chairman, Chris Cairns of New Zealand, Gary Kirsten of South Africa, Iqbal Qasim of Pakistan and Alec Stewart of England, and after looking carefully at the players' credentials, a panel of 56 - all 10 Test captains, 18 umpires and match referees and 28 legends of the game and cricket writers - will make the final decision.

As a Test batsman, Pietersen boasted, over the period, a record of 12 matches, 1,255 runs at an average of 57.04 with four centuries and a top score of 226; and as a one-day player his record was 21 matches, 800 runs at an average of 44.44 with two centuries, five 50s and a top score of 104.

As a Test batsman, Yousuf boasted a record of six matches, 944 runs at an average of 94.40 with five centuries and a top score of 192; and as a one-day player his record was 24 matches, 775 runs at an average of 40.78 with one century, five 50s, and a top score of 101 not out.

As a Test batsman, Ponting boasted a record of five matches, 576 runs at an average of 82.28 with two centuries and a top score of 196; and a one-day player his record was 28 matches, 1,185 runs at an average of 51.52 with three centuries, 10 50s and a top score of 113.

As a Test batsman, Chanderpaul boasted a record of six matches, 651 runs at an average of 81.37 with two centuries and a top score of 136 not out; and as a one-day player his record was 31 matches, 1,260 runs at an average of 57.27 with four centuries, nine 50s, and a top score of 149 not out.

It will be tight - no question about that.

Performance gives edge

West Indies middle-order batsman Shivnarine 'Tiger' Chanderpaul ... the man to beat for Cricketer of the Year? - AP

Looking at the overall figures, however Yousuf's performance, the best of it at the expense of the West Indies, in Test matches was awesome, Chanderpaul's combined performance in Test and one-day matches should give him the edge - and especially so his performances in the Test series against England where, with scores of 74, 50 and 116 not out, 136 not out and 70 at an average of 148,66, he carried the West Indies on his back throughout the contest, or rather throughout the mismatch.

It would be good for West Indies cricket if, in spite of their poor rating as a team, they could end up with the Cricketer of the Year.

The other awards include the Test Player of the Year, the One-day Player of the Year, the Captain of the Year, the Spirit of Cricket of the Year, and with Pietersen, Ponting, Yousuf, offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan left in the race, Muralitharan, with 43 wickets in five matches at an average of 11.60, with a best haul of 12 for 82, and with four five-wickets in an innings and two 10-in-a-match takes, should be the Test player of the Year.

Matthew Hayden, with 1,368 runs from 25 matches at an average of 62.18, with five centuries, four fifties and a strike rate of 87.69, should be the One-day Cricketer of the Year ahead of JacquesKallis, Glenn McGrath and Ponting Australia won all five matches, with four from five leading Sri Lanka, Mahela Jayawardena deserves the vote as Captain of the Year over Ponting and, based on their dominance in both Test and one-day cricket, based on their skill with bat, ball and in the field, Australia should win the Spirit of Cricket award ahead of Ireland, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

There is also an award to the best umpire. The three in the race are Mark Benson, Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel and, as good as Bucknor is, even though he may be remembered as the best ever in the business, the award, this time around, should go to Taufel.