Ponting named ICC Player of the Year

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain and batsman has been named ICC Player of the Year at the ICC Awards in Mumbai. It capped a prolific evening for Ponting who was also earlier named Test Player of the Year and was included in both the ODI and Test Teams of the Year.

"It has been a satisfying year personally and also for the rest of the team," Ponting said. "For me to be a part of that success has been great for me. To see Mike [Hussey] win an award and so many other Australians to be nominated indicates that the team is doing well at the moment. It's a great night for Australian cricket.

"To captain Australia is something I love and never take for granted. We had to show a lot of character immediately after [losing] the Ashes," Ponting admitted. "And since then we have managed to do that. We have set a new standard for ourselves, we've worked hard and thankfully it's paying off for us at the moment... I think we learned a lot from that Ashes series and we are a better team for that so I think we will be a very difficult side to beat this summer.

"The challenge for us now is to try to win the ICC Champions Trophy final on Sunday and then head back to Australia and try to win the Ashes back. It's going to be a busy time but we are really looking forward to it."

During the voting period of August 1 2005 to August 8 2006, Ponting played 16 Tests and 20 one-dayers. In Tests he scored a phenomenal 1,791 runs at an average of 68.88, including two centuries in his 100th Test match, against South Africa in Durban.

"It's a great thrill, even to be nominated on the short-list but to walk away with two awards is something out of this world, something very special," he said. "It's the sort of thing that is very satisfying when you look back on your career in years to come. I'll be able to spend more time enjoying it then."

"On behalf of the ICC I would like to pass on my congratulations to Ricky for winning this award," Percy Sonn, the ICC president said. "He has shown over the last year that he is the best and it is great that we have this opportunity to recognise that. He is a credit to his team and his country and through his talent and hard work, he is a role model for all aspiring cricketers and sportspeople of all descriptions."

Ponting beat off competition from his team-mate Michael Hussey, and Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) and Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka). Last year, the award was shared by Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis while in 2004 the award went to Rahul Dravid.