Sri Lanka veteran Kumar Sangakkara has been named cricketer of the year by the highly respected publication Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, according to the BBC.
SEE ALSO:
ECB chief Paul Downton resigns from managing director role
Alastair Cook notches up England century in farcical warm-up match against St Kitts & Nevis
(Images) Exiled England batsman Kevin Pietersen trains with Surrey for first time
Sangakkara becomes just the second man to win the prestigious award twice, joining India’s Virender Sehwag in claiming Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World on more than one occasion.
The batsman-wicketkeeper won the award after a superb 2014 campaign that saw him score a record 2,868 international runs in the calendar year.
Sangakkara was named man of the match in the T20 World Cup final against India in early 2014, and also played a pivotal role in helping Sri Lanka defeat England 1-0 in what was a tight Test series on English soil.
The 37-year-old then proved Wisden’s decision to be correct after notching up four consecutive centuries in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
Australia’s Meg Lanning was voted Wisden’s first ever women’s cricketer of the year, while Moeen Ali, Gary Ballance, Adam Lyth, Jeetan Patel and Angelo Mathews were named as the five best players of 2014.
COMMENTS