Sri Lanka's Sangakkara shortlisted for four ICC awards

Sri Lanka's former captain and batsman Kumar Sangakkara has been shortlisted for four International Cricket Council (ICC) awards including the player of the year. The ICC Thursday announced that the 34-year-old Sri Lankan batsman has been short-listed for the top honour at the LG ICC Awards 2012 along with South Africa's Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander, Australia captain Michael Clarke.
The four cricketers are in the running for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year. The winner will receive the trophy at a "glittering ceremony" in Colombo on September 15, the ICC said. All four cricketers are also short-listed for the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year at the ninth LG ICC Awards. In addition to the top honor, Sangakkara is also in contention for the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award and has been short-listed alongside India's MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, as well as team-mate Lasith Malinga. He is also in the shortlist for the people's choice award. Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan is nominated in the Twenty20 International (T20I) Performance of the year along with his team mate Ajantha Mendis, West Indies' Chris Gayle, and South Africa's Richard Levi. For the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year nominees, who must be under 26 years of age, Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal has been short-listed along with New Zealand's Doug Bracewell, West Indies Sunil Narine and Australia's James Pattinson. An independent 32-person panel comprising former players and representatives from the media, match referees and umpires will vote for the awards based on the performances of the cricketers over a 12-month period that ended on August 6, 2012. The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its ninth year and this year it will be held in Colombo, on September 15.