(Colombo Lankapuvath October 02) Sri Lanka’s opening batsman and all-rounder, Thilakarathne Dilshan brought glory to the country when he won the award for the best Twenty20 International Performance of the Year award at the glittering LG ICC Awards ceremony held in Johannesburg yesterday (01). 

Right hand batsman Dilshan became the second-ever recipient of the honour. Dilshan took the trophy following his impressive 96 not out off 57 balls against the West Indies during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament 2009 held in England.

Dilshan played his debut T20 match against England at Southampton on the 15th of June 2006. Dilshan has played 21 T20 matches and his best batting performance was 96 runs against West Indies.

Collecting his award from last year’s winner India’s Yuvraj Singh, Dilshan said: “This is a great feeling for me. I can’t forget about that innings – it was so important and I was really happy about my overall performance in the tournament. It was a thrill for me to do well in England and do well for my team”. 

Australia bowler Mitchell Johnson was named Cricketer of the Year at the prestigious LG ICC Awards. Johnson was also named in the ICC World Test Team of the Year. 

Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the One Day International (ODI) Player of the Year award for the second year in a row, while his team-mate Gautam Gambhir was named Test Player of the Year. 

England's Claire Taylor followed in the footsteps of her captain Charlotte Edwards to become the Women's Player of the Year and Ireland skipper William Porterfield left with the Associate Player of the Year gong, an award recognising the contribution that the teams below Full Member status are making to the world of cricket. 

Aleem Dar of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires won the Umpire of the Year award for the first time, while New Zealand took the Spirit of Cricket Award as it did in 2004.

Courtesy: lankapuvath.lk