Bishoo named Emerging Player of the Year

West Indies legspinner Devendra Bishoo has been named the Emerging Player of the Year for 2011 at the ICC Awards ceremony in London. He had competition from his team-mate Darren Bravo and the Pakistan pair of Wahab Riaz and Azhar Ali.

Bishoo, 25, played five Tests in the voting period - August 11, 2010 to August 3, 2011 - and took 21 wickets at an average of 35.42. He also picked up 19 wickets at 21.57 each in 11 ODIs.

"I could not believe it when I was nominated for the ICC Emerging Player of the Year but to win it feels great," Bishoo said. "I would like to dedicate the award to my father. He played a great role in my life and encouraged me to play cricket. After he died I made a promise to always give my best and reach for the top.

"I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me along the way and also a special 'thank you' to the fans who have supported me. I hope I can continue to represent the West Indies with pride and improve my bowling and keep taking as many international wickets as I can. I'd like to thank the support staff and my team-mates of the West Indies and Guyana for all the support and guidance."

"It has been a challenging start to my international career so far but it has been an enjoyable start. The highlights so far have been playing in the World Cup, playing my first Test match on home soil, and playing against India. I have learned a lot in a short space of time and want to continue learning."

Previous winners of the Emerging Player Award are Irfan Pathan (2004), Kevin Pietersen (2005), Ian Bell (2006), Shaun Tait (2007), Ajantha Mendis (2008), Peter Siddle (2009) and Steven Finn (2010).