Ponting scoops Test Player of the Year award

Ricky Ponting, the Australia batsman and captain was tonight named Test Player of the Year at the ICC Awards in Mumbai.

Ponting, 31, topped the poll ahead of his team-mate Michael Hussey - who earlier was named ODI Player of the Year - Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Australia's Shane Warne. During the voting period between August 1 2005 and August 8 2006, Ponting scored 1791 runs at an average of 68.88. And during a remarkable few weeks he scored hundreds in both innings of a Test in three different games: against the West Indies at Brisbane and against South Africa in Sydney and Durban.

"On behalf of the ICC, I would like to congratulate Ricky on winning this award, which recognises his prolific year," Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive said. "The fact this award was voted for by Ricky's peers and many vastly experienced former players and observers of the game shows the high regard in which he is held by the cricketing world and he is a worthy winner."

Earlier in the evening, Ponting was been named in both the ODI and Test teams of the Year, as chosen by the five-man panel consisting of Sunil Gavaskar, Arjuna Ranatunga, Waqar Younis, Allan Donald and Ian Healy.

Previous winners of the award were Jacques Kallis in 2005 and Rahul Dravid in 2005.