Cricinfo sets up awards for best individual performers

Bangalore, Dec 24 (UNI) Cricinfo, the world's leading cricket website, today announced the first edition of the 'Cricinfo Awards' to recognise best individual batting and bowling performances in Tests, ODIs and T20 cricket during 2007.

The nominees have been compiled and short listed by Cricinfo's global staff and the winners would be selected by eight-member jury that includes top former international cricketers.

Briefing newspersons on the details of the awards, Cricinfo Editor Sambit Bal today said that the jury included Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Chappell, Daryl Cullinan, Tony Greig, Michael Holding, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar and Ramiz Raja.

"Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan are among the nominees for best batting and bowling performances respectively. The selection of probables had been done taking to consideration up to 18 different parameters. The awards would be announced in Perth, Australia, in January 2008 after the second test between India and Australia during the ongoing tour," he said.

Mr Bal said the awards was based purely on performances and would not carry any prize money. "We feel the awards provide recognition to the cricketers and prize money would not really matter to them," he said.

The nominees include Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen apart from Yuvraj in test batting, Mohammed Asif, Makhaya Ntini and Monty Panesar apart from Zaheer in test bowling, Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villers and Adam Gilchrist in ODI batting, Lasith Malinga, Shane Bond and Shaun Pollock in ODI bowling, Yuvraj, Mohammad Ashraful and Chris Gayle in T20 batting and S Sreesanth, R P Singh and Ummar Gul in T20 bowling.

UNI