V Prasad Gets International Honors

MUMBAI: Indian medium pacer Venkatesh Prasad upstaged world cricket’s leading all-rounder Wasim Akram of Pakistan, with a difference of just five points, to win the CEAT International-Cricketer-of-the-Year award for 1996-97 and a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000.

Prasad, who won the Sun Grace-Mafatlal’s Indian-Cricketer-of-the-Year award a couple of days ago, mustered 92 points to Akram’s 87 points and was declared the winner by the three adjudicators and former Test Captains Ian Chappell of Australia, Clive Lloyd of West Indies and Sunil Gavaskar of India, according to a release here, June 14.

The CEAT year commenced, May 24, 1996, with the first one-day international between India and England at the Oval and concluded, May 3, this year, with the fourth one-day international between India and West Indies at Barbados, the release added.

The highlights of Prasad’s achievements were the phenomenal performance where he took 55 wickets in 15 Tests, with five five-wickets haul per innings and a ten-wicket haul in a match against South Africa at Durban.

He also took 48 one-day international wickets in 30 matches. (PTI)

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