Date of ICC Awards 2006 set to change from 23 October to 3 November

The date of this year's ICC Awards is set to change from 23 October to 3 November, it was announced today.

The change of date means the event is no longer in close proximity to either the Hindu festival of Diwali or the Muslim festival of Eid.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said: "The new date adds an extra dimension to the last week of the ICC Champions Trophy with the ICC Awards slotting in between the two semi-finals in Mohali and Jaipur and the final at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai.

"And the fact this year's ceremony is taking place in India, which has such a passion for the game, and in Mumbai, which is the entertainment capital of India, should add to the excitement, glamour and expectation that this event is likely to generate.

"I am sure that all those who will be lucky enough to attend this year's ICC Awards will have an unforgettable evening."

This year's ICC Awards will be the third staging of the event after previous ICC Awards ceremonies in London (2004) and Sydney (2005).

This year's event will see individual awards for the Test Player of the Year, the ODI Player of the Year, the Emerging Player of the Year, the Umpire of the Year and the Cricketer of the Year (who will receive the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) as well as two new awards, for the Captain of the Year and the Women's Cricketer of the Year.

The ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year will also be named, as chosen by a star-studded panel of selectors chaired by former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and also including former South Africa fast bowling legend Allan Donald, Ian Healy, the ex-Australia record-breaking wicketkeeper, Sri Lanka's ICC Cricket World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Waqar Younis, the former captain of Pakistan. The ICC Spirit of Cricket Award will also be made to one of the ICC Full Member teams.

The long lists of nominations for the individual awards has already been chosen by the ICC's selection panel and can be seen at:

The shortlists for those prizes, which are voted for by the ICC Academy of 56 members, as well as the venue for the ICC Awards, will be announced in due course, as the date for this year's ceremony draws nearer.

The ICC Awards are presented by Hyundai in association with FICA (the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations). LG is a Platinum Partner of the ICC Awards.