ICC 2016 Awards announced; 2 top honours for India's R Ashwin

Bengaluru, Dec 22: India's star offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin stole the limelight at the International Cricket Council's (ICC) annual awards by winning 2 top honours on Thursday (December 22). Last year, India had failed to win any individual award. (Reason for Kohli's omission from Test team)

Test team of the year; ODI team of the year; 2015 award winners

The 30-year-old Ashwin won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016 honour. He was also named as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.

Ashwin is only the 2nd Indian player after Rahul Dravid (2004) to bag the two coveted prizes in the same year. Kallis (2005), Ponting (2006), Sangakkara (2012), Clarke (2013), Johnson (2014) and Smith (2015) are the other players to annex both the awards in the same year. (In pictures - All the award winners)

"It's an absolute pleasure to be awarded with this great honour. It feels great to follow the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in being named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year. To also win the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year makes it even better," Ashwin said.

Congratulations to all of the winners in this year's #ICCAwards! pic.twitter.com/GXYExAc24c
— ICC (@ICC) December 22, 2016

"There are a lot of people to thank for this wonderful achievement I have made. It has been a great couple of years but this year has been even more special. What is very noticeable is the way I have bowled and batted and the way I have gone about doing my business. What is more important, as far as I am concerned, is the number of people who have gone behind my success.

"I'd like to dedicate this award to my family. I'd like to thank ICC and most importantly my team-mates. I'd also like to thank the support staff for our success. We've had a great transition ever since Mahendra Singh Dhoni hung up his boots. A young captain has taken over, we fell on the right track, and we now have a new bunch of boys," he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin is the ICC Cricketer of the Year, winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy! Congratulations! #ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/OEEMK7GOda
— ICC (@ICC) December 22, 2016

During the voting period - 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016, Ashwin played eight Tests in which he took 48 wickets and scored 336 runs. Ashwin also claimed 27 wickets in 19 T20Is.

Ashwin had finished 2015 as the number-one ranked Test bowler in the world, a position he twice reclaimed in 2016.

Ravichandran Ashwin also picks up ICC Test Cricketer of the Year after an outstanding year for India! #ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/jCjpxDKgjK
— ICC (@ICC) December 22, 2016

Ashwin follows in the footsteps of Dravid (2004) and Sachin Tendulkar (2010), while other recipients of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy include Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis (joint-winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Mitchell Johnson (2009 and 2014), Jonathan Trott (2011), Kumar Sangakkara (2012), Michael Clarke (2013) and Steve Smith (2015).

ICC Cricketer of the Year @ashwinravi99 says thanks after winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and Test Cricketer of the Year #ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/B3eW9ZIEZs
— ICC (@ICC) December 22, 2016

According to the ICC, the Voting Academy, comprising respected members of the cricket media from all the Test playing countries, decided on the individual awards, while the Selection Panel of Rahul Dravid, Gary Kirsten and Kumar Sangakkara picked the ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year.

Here is the full list of ICC awards for the year 2016

ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) - Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

ICC Test Cricketer of the Year - Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year - Quinton de Kock (South Africa)

ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year - Suzie Bates (New Zealand)

ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year - Suzie Bates (New Zealand)

ICC T20I Performance of the Year - Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies ) (34 not out, 10 balls, 1x4, 4x6, ICC WT20 India 2016 final v England, Kolkata)

ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

ICC Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year - Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)

ICC Spirit of Cricket Award - Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)

ICC Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) - Marais Erasmus