LONDON: The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack has broken with tradition and named only four cricketers of the year for its 2011 edition because of the Pakistan spot-fixing scandal, editor Scyld Berry said Friday. The publication has named five players since 1926 but this year only Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal and England's Eoin Morgan, Chris Read and Jonathan Trott made the shortened list. Three Pakistan players Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt were banned for a minimum of five years each for manipulating incidents in last year's Lord's Test against England. Fast bowler Amir, who was named Pakistan's player of the series against England, has been widely reported by British media to be the name omitted from the prestigious list. “The fifth Cricketer of the Year, I can reveal, was going to be one of three Pakistan players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir — until they were banned by the ICC's independent tribunal for the bowling of deliberate no-balls in the fourth Test at Lord's,” Berry said in a column in The Telegraph newspaper. “Which one of the three was selected? I am not going to say because it would not be in keeping with cricket's tradition of fairness.” The Wisden Cricketers of the Year dates back to 1889 and is bestowed upon players who made the biggest impact during the previous English summer. The news overshadowed the nominees who did make the reduced list. Bangladeshi Tamim and Irishman Morgan are the first players from their respective countries to make the list while Read is recognized for his role in Nottinghamshire's march to the County Championship. Trott was honored after a prolific year in Test and one-day cricket for England in his first full year as an international. Clarke faces Bangladesh test Australia's Michael Clarke will be determined to make a strong start in his new role as captain when he leads against Bangladesh in a one-day series starting in Dhaka Saturday. The stylish middle-order batsman last month replaced Ricky Ponting as skipper at a time when Australia are trying to revive their fortunes in both Test and one-day cricket. Australia not only lost the Ashes against England at home last year but also failed in its bid to win a fourth successive World Cup when it crashed to India in the quarterfinals, both the defeats coming under Ponting. Ponting, with 13,288 runs in 359 One-Day Internationals, has retained his place as batsman in the squad for three matches against Bangladesh. “Having his (Ponting's) experience around the group is very important for our development moving forward,” Australia vice captain Shane Watson said Wednesday. “We have got three games in Bangladesh with a new captain that will add a slightly new dynamic to our team. I think it's really an exciting phase in Australian cricket.” Australia began its tour Thursday with a 90-run win over a Bangladesh Cricket Board team in a practice match in Dhaka.
