Mushtaq Ahmed voted player of the year

Mushtaq Ahmed was last night named player of the year by the Professional Cricketers Association. It caps off a memorable season for Mushtaq, who took 103 first-class wickets for Sussex and helped them to win the Championship for the first time in their history.

Chris Adams and the Sussex squad received the award on Mushtaq's behalf at the PCA's annual end-of-season dinner in London. Meanwhile, Kabir Ali took the young player of the year prize in recognition of his 54 wickets for Worcestershire, who won Division Two of the County Championship, while Alec Stewart was given a lifetime achievement for his contribution to the game.

Richard Bevan, chief executive of the PCA, said: "These awards are special because the players decide the winners, based on playing with or against them during the season. The players rewarded Mushtaq's outstanding record this year, and with some truly devastating bowling spells he can take a great deal of credit for Sussex' Division One success."

Other winners included:
Slazenger Sheer Instinct Award: Ed Smith
MCC Spirit of Cricket Award: Glamorgan County Cricket Club (voted for by the umpires)
PCA in the Community Award: NatWest Cricket with the Princes Trust
Special Merit Award: Stuart Robertson for his work on Twenty20 Cricket with the ECB
Umpire of the Year: Neil Mallender
Groundsman of the Year: Mick Hunt (Lord's)