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Pakistan Cricket Board have lodged a protest with ICC after Saeed Ajmal,
the offspinner, was left off the shortlist for ICC Test player of the
year. He was included on the longlist for the award but PCB have
requested a review and hope Ajmal will be added to the shortlist.
Ajmal, 34, took 72 Test wickets between August 4, 2011 and August 6, 2012
- the qualifying period for the award - including 24 at 14.70 as
Pakistan swept England, then the No. 1 side in the world, 3-0 in
January. He has climbed to No. 3 in the ICC Test bowling rankings and is
the highest ranked spinner. He was also selected in the ICC Test team
of the year.
But despite his success, Ajmal was omitted from the four-man shortlist
that features South Africans Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander, Sri Lanka
batsman Kumar Sangakkara and Australian captain Michael Clarke. The
list is voted for by a 30-man panel of former players, officials and
journalists and the award will be presented at a ceremony in Colombo on
September 15.
"During the voting period Ajmal produced some significant performances
including the series against England," a PCB spokesman told
ESPNcricinfo. "It's fair to show a concern on Ajmal's omission from the
top performers and hence the PCB has written to ICC and expect them to
reconsider."
There is precedent for ICC to add names to the list of candidates for
their awards. In 2010, Graeme Swann was omitted from the longlist for
the cricketer of the year award but after the ECB put up his case, the
ICC included his name after admitting an "oversight" - Swann was then
shortlisted before missing out to Sachin Tendulkar. South Africa have
also taken umbrage to the list of candidates in the past, boycotting the
2009 ceremony in Johannesburg after their cricketers were overlooked
for awards.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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