KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Combative left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn emerged with the Player-of-the-Year award while the outstanding Stafanie Taylor picked up the corresponding women’s award, at the West Indies Player Association/West Indies Cricket Board Players Award ceremony held here Tuesday night.
The 33-year-old enjoyed a resurgence in his career last year, picking up 31 wickets at 30 apiece, with a best of five for 39 in the first Test against Bangladesh last September at Arnos Vale.
Taylor, meanwhile, scored 343 runs at an average of 38 last year, to be one of the leading players for the West Indies Women. Young opener Kraigg Brathwaite was voted Test Player-of-the-Year, Denesh Ramdin received the One-Day International Player-of-the-Year while leg-spinner Samuel Badree walked away with the Twenty20 Player-of-the-Year honour. Jamaican stroke-maker Jermaine Blackwood was named Emerging Player-of-the-Year.
In his feature address, WIPA president and chief executive Wavell Hinds, reiterated the idea that the players were the game’s most precious resource and needed to be treated as such.
He revealed that WIPA and the WICB had put the finishing touches on the contentious Collective Bargaining Agreement and had already signed off on it.
“The West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association do recognize, appreciate and respect that the most important asset in West Indies cricket is our players and our players must be treated accordingly,” the former West Indies batsman said.
“As such, we have embarked on finalizing on our agreements … we’ve penned the agreement in full.”
WICB president, Dave Cameron, hailed the strength of the relationship with WIPA, noting that much could be accomplished in West Indies cricket once the two bodies continued to cooperate.
“This marks the third year of our joint Awards Ceremony and it puts in perspective the opportunity we can explore when we as a cricket community approach the rest of the world as a joint unit,” said Cameron.
Several special awards were given out, with cricketing knights Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Wes Hall, Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Richie Richardson and Sir Curtly Ambrose all honoured for their contributions.
Former Guyana Cricket Board president and WICB director, Chetram Singh, was given the WICB’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his service while Renford Pinnock, the former Jamaica wicketkeeper/batsman, received the equivalent award from the players union.
AWARDS:
REGIONAL UNDER-19 TEAM OF THE YEAR: Guyana
UNDER-19 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shimron Hetmyer (Guyana)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMER WIPA IN THE COMMUNITY: Ronnie Goddard
REGIONAL 4-DAY TEAM OF THE YEAR: Barbados
REGIONAL LIMITED-OVERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dwayne Smith (Barbados)
REGIONAL 4-DAY PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shacaya Thomas (Combined Campuses & Colleges)
REGIONAL TWENTY20 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lendl Simmons (Trinidad & Tobago)
ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Denesh Ramdin
TEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kraigg Brathwaite
TWENTY20 INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Samuel Badree
EMERGING PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jermaine Blackwood
WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Stafanie Taylor
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sulieman Benn
WICB LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Chetram Singh (former President of the Guyana Cricket Board and WICB director)
WIPA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Renford Pinnock (former Jamaica wicketkeeper/batsman)
