Bell, Sidebottom and Gibson acknowledged in Wisden's list
Ian Bell enjoyed a good year with England in 2007
Wednesday, 09, Apr 2008 01:16
England's Ian Bell and Ryan Sidebottom and former Durham fast bowler Ottis Gibson have been named in the five-man list of Wisden cricketers of the year.
Middle-order batsman Bell and pace bowler Sidebottom both enjoyed good seasons in 2007 as key members of both the Test and one-day sides.
Gibson, who is now a member of the England coaching staff and works with the bowling ranks, has also been recognised by the almanac for his superb season in county cricket, where he was the leading wicket-taker.
He also caught the eye with a starring role against Hampshire last July, when he became only the 79th player ever to take all ten wickets in an innings in first-class cricket - single-handedly dismissing Durham's opponents for 115.
West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and India seamer Zaheer Khan were the other two players on the list, which recognises the achievements of players in each calendar year.
Players can only be nominated on the list once in their career, although the same is not true of the leading cricketer of the year award recognising the top player in the world each year since 2004.
In 2007, South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis was named as the leading cricketer after scoring 1,210 Test runs at an average of more than 86 and taking 20 wickets at an average of 25.75.