Richie Benaud to head ICC awards panel

Richie Benaud, the former Australian captain and legendary broadcaster, will head the awards panel that will choose candidates for the inaugural International Cricket Council awards. The ICC announced that Benaud would head the panel that also includes Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Botham, Barry Richards and Michael Holding.

The panel's first task is to prepare a short-list of players for the four individual award categories. A jury of 50 will then vote to decide winners in each category. This awards panel also has the task of choosing the ICC Test and ODI XIs of the year. These will be official world XIs made up of the best individual players from all international teams in each form of the game.

"The first thing about being on a five-person panel of this kind is for us to realise what degree of difficulty lies ahead," said Benaud. "The main problem will be in excluding players from the short-list, even though they are brilliant cricketers. It is a challenge, and one approached by Ian, Sunil, Michael, Barry and me, with considerable anticipation."

Richards, a former South African batting great, said, "Richie Benaud is the doyen, and every member has had vast experience in all facets of cricket and are well positioned to provide the catalyst in honouring the heroes of today."

The awards will be given out in a function in London on September 7.

Individual awards
Cricketer of the Year
Test Player of the Year
One-Day International Player of the Year
Emerging Player of the Year
Umpire of the Year

Team awards
Test Team of the Year
One-Day International Team of the Year
Spirit of Cricket Award