Dhoni named ODI Player of the Year

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won the ODI Player of the Year award for the second year in a row at the ICC Awards in Johannesburg.

Dhoni beat off tough competition from team-mates Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag as well as West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul to take the award.

During the voting period, Dhoni played 24 ODIs and scored 967 runs at an average of 60.43 and at a rate of 86.63 runs per 100 balls faced. In that time he hit nine half-centuries making sure he led his team from the front.

Also in that time, Dhoni, as wicketkeeper, played a hand in 26 dismissals (18 catches and eight stumpings) and led his country to victory in 17 of the 24 matches in which he played. He is currently ranked number one in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, comfortably ahead of the next best.

Dhoni also features in both the Test and ODI Teams of the Year as both wicketkeeper and captain of both sides, as selected by the expert five-man panel.

The panel was chaired by West Indies legend Clive Lloyd and included former India captain Anil Kumble, former England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor, former Pakistan opener Mudassar Nazar and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.