England Women's cricketer Katherine Brunt, who has been working with the Worcestershire Cricket Board during the past six months, was one of the major award winners at the annual LG ICC Awards.
The 29-year-old pace bowler, who will be returning to New Road next summer with England for the Royal London One-Day International against Australia on July 26, lifted the 2014 Spirit of Cricket Award.
She earned this honour as a result of an incident during England Women’s second NatWest T20I against South Africa at the County Ground, Northampton on September 3.
Having completed the run-out of South Africa’s Matshipi Letsoalo at the bowler’s end, Brunt called the batsman back and told the on-field umpire that she wasn’t sure if the ball was definitely in her hand when she dislodged the bails.
Having checked the television replay, the third umpire subsequently reversed the decision and Letsoalo continued her innings.
ECB Chairman, Giles Clarke, said: “I am thrilled that an England player has won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award. Playing cricket hard but fair is a philosophy that permeates through every England team.
"It is wonderful news that Katherine’s demonstration of this against South Africa during the summer has been recognised."
Yorkshire and England batsman Gary Ballance, Brunt's England team-mate Sarah Taylor and umpire Richard Kettleborough were the other major individual award winners.
Wicket-keeper-batsman Taylor has secured her third consecutive ICC Annual award, after being named as the LG ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year.
Taylor played a starring role in England women’s historic 2-0 ODI series victory against the West Indies in the Caribbean last November.
After the first match was rain-abandoned, she scored an unbeaten 55 to guide England home in the second encounter, before hitting a crucial century off 108 balls in the deciding match.
Taylor has previously won the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award in 2012 and 2013.
After making his Test match debut in Sydney at the end of the 2013-2014 Ashes Series, batsman Ballance has landed the LG ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year Award.
The 24 year old has scored 729 runs at an average of 60.75 in his first eight Tests for England, hitting his maiden Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s (108 not out) in June this year.
Ballance followed this with back-to-back centuries at Lord’s (110) and the Ageas Bowl (156) in July during the Investec Test Series against India.
For the second consecutive year, former Yorkshire and Middlesex batsman, Richard Kettleborough, has won the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year.
Kettleborough has been a First Class Umpire since 2006 and was appointed to the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in 2011.
Clarke, said: “I would like to congratulate Gary, Katherine, Sarah and Richard on their individual awards. I am absolutely delighted that their achievements have been recognised by the ICC."
