West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo was named the “West Indies Man’s Cricketer of the Year,” at the ninth annual West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) Awards last week at the Port of Spain, Trinidad Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The Guyanese bowler was also named the prestigious “Test Match Cricketer of the Year” to cap an astounding 2011.
Bishoo has taken 40 wickets since his Test debut last May at home against Pakistan and gave good performances on tours to India and Bangladesh as well as the current Australia series. But he was dropped from the second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad.
Jamaica all-rounder, Stefanie Taylor, was named the “West Indies Women’s Cricketer of the Year” for the fifth consecutive time to add to her 2011 International Cricket Council (ICC) “Women’s Cricketer of the Year.”
Trinidad and Tobago opener Lendel Simmons copped the “West Indies T20 Cricketer of the Year” and “Caribbean T20 Cricketer of the Year” awards.
The “West Indies One-Day International Player of the Year” went to Andre Russell, with a batting average of 32.07, while grabbing 27 wickets at 28.18 apiece since his ICC World Cup debut last year against Ireland.
The “First-Class Four-Day Cricketer of the Year” award went to Marlon Samuels, who scored 853 runs at an average of 65.61.
Barbados Captain Kirk Edwards, was named the “Emerging Player of the Year” after an impressive start to his West Indies career. He slammed a century against India in Dominica last year and subsequently garnered a Test average of 5063 with two centuries and four fifties in just seven matches.
