Rangana Herath pips Kumar Sangakkara to claim Sri Lanka Cricketer of year award
Rangana Herath took 46 Test wickets in the qualification period, while ICC Cricketer of the year, Kumar Sangakkara hit 441 runs in two Tests in 2013.
Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has been named as the country's Cricketer of the year for the first time. Herath, currently ranked fourth in Test bowlers rankings, pipped former skipper Kumar Sangakkara for the coveted award for 2012-13 season.
Herath and Sangakkara, meanwhile, highlighted most of the other awards in a Sri Lanka Cricket ceremony. Where Herath bagged the Test bowler of the year award, Sangakkara won the Test batsman of the year and the people's choice award for the fourth time in-a-row.
During the period under consideration Herath scalped 46 Test wickets at an impressive bowling average of 22.13 and topped the wickets tally in 2012. Earlier this year in March during the Bangladesh series, Herath became the third Sri Lankan after Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas to bag 200 Test wickets.
Meanwhile, Sangakkara, who was awarded last year's ICC Cricketer of the year award, scored 441 runs in the only two Tests he played in 2013, including hundreds in three innings.
Opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan was named the best ODI batsman of the year, while Lasith Malinga was awarded with the best ODI bowler.
Sri Lanka's Test and ODI skipper Angelo Mathews was named ODI all-rounder of the year and Twenty20 skipper Dinesh Chandimal picked up the Emerging cricketer of the year for the second year running.
Sri Lankan women's team captain Shashikala Siriwardene bagged the top award for women in a groundbreaking year for the women's team. She was also awarded ODI all-rounder of the year, while Deepika Rasangika was best women's Batsman in ODIs and Chamani Seneviratna took home the bowling prize. The Sri Lanka women's team had caused the upset of the women's World Cup in February, when they defeated England by one wicket, and went on to be placed fifth at the tournament.
In domestic cricket, Kaushal Silva, who top scored in the first-class tournament, was named SLC's best Premier League batsman, with top wicket-taker Malinda Pushpakumara grabbing the first-class bowling award. Dilruwan Perera was selected as best all-rounder, while Sri Lanka players Kusal Perera and Ajantha Mendis also took home domestic cricket honours.