ICC Awards of the Decade: Virat Kohli wins Player of Decade, MS Dhoni wins Spirit of Cricket Award of Decade

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has won two prestigious awards at the ICC Awards of the Decade - Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade and ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade. 

Virat Kohli is the only cricketer with over 10,000 ODI runs in the ICC Awards period and most hundreds. Speaking on his win, Kohli said that his only intention was to make winning contributions for the team and said that stats just become the byproduct of what you want to do on the field.

"My only intention was to make winning contributions for the team and I just strive to do that in every game. Stats just become the byproduct of what you want to do on the field."

📽️ Virat Kohli reacts to winning the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade award 🙌#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/MF7LDRhg3v

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade for his grand gesture of recalling England batsman Ian Bell to the crease after a bizarre run out in the Trent Bridge Test against England in 2011.

Virat Kohli claims two top ICC Awards of the Decade honours 

1. Sir Garfield Sobers award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade

2. ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Decade

Virat Kohli stats during ICC Awards Period (January 1, 2011- October 7, 2020)

Virat Kohli has won two prestigious individual ICC honours after becoming the only player to be in all three ICC Men’s Teams of the Decade.

🏅 ICC @CricketWorldCup win in 2011
🏆 ICC Champions Trophy win in 2013
🎖️ Test series win in Australia in 2018

Virat Kohli, the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade, talks about the last 10 glorious years of his career 🙌#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/P9FSDgCkWJ

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade

MS Dhoni was unanimously chosen by fans for the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade following for his decision to recall Ian Bell after a controversial run out in the 2011 India vs England Nottingham Test. He had won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award in 2011 as well for the incident. 

🇮🇳 MS DHONI wins the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade 👏👏

The former India captain was chosen by fans unanimously for his gesture of calling back England batsman Ian Bell after a bizarre run out in the Nottingham Test in 2011.#ICCAwards | #SpiritOfCricket pic.twitter.com/3eCpyyBXwu

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

What had happened?

During the final ball of the afternoon session on the third day of the test, Ian Bell was run out at 137 after he mistakenly assumed that the ball had reached the boundary for four and had gone off to talk to his batting partner Eoin Morgan while India's Abhinav Mukund hit the ball on the stumps.

The Indian team led by then captain MS Dhoni decided to retract its run out appeal and recall Ian Bell to the crease keeping in mind the spirit of the game, as getting him out in that manner would have contravened the spirit. Bell was able to add 22 more runs before getting caught at the slip. 

Bell was quoted saying after the match that he did not know till the last minute that he would be going back out and was in full praise of the Indian team for handling the situation fantastically,  keeping in mind the spirit of the game. 

ICC Awards of the Decade: Full List

Sir Garfield Sobers Awards for ICC Men's Player of the Decade: Virat Kohli (India)

The incredible Virat Kohli wins the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade 🙌

🏏 Most runs in the #ICCAwards period: 20,396
💯 Most hundreds: 66
🙌 Most fifties: 94
🅰️ Highest average among players with 70+ innings: 56.97
🏆 2011 @cricketworldcup champion pic.twitter.com/lw0wTNlzGi

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Women's Player of the Decade: Ellyse Perry (Australia)

The phenomenal Ellyse Perry wins the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade 🙌

🏏 4349 international runs during the #ICCAwards period
☝️ 213 wickets
🤯 Four-time @T20WorldCup champion
🏆 @CricketWorldCup 2013 champion

A clean sweep for Perry ⭐ pic.twitter.com/yc9GjGBlFS

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade: MS Dhoni (India)

ICC Men's Test Player of the Decade: Steve Smith (Australia)

🇦🇺 STEVE SMITH is the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade 👏👏

🏏 7040 Test runs in the #ICCAwards period
🅰️ 65.79 average ➜ Highest in top 50
💯 26 hundreds, 28 fifties

Unique, relentless and unbelievably consistent 🙌 pic.twitter.com/UlXvHaFbDz

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

ICC Men's ODI Player of the Decade: Virat Kohli (India)

🇮🇳 VIRAT KOHLI is the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade 👏👏

🔝 Only player with 10,000-plus ODI runs in the #ICCAwards period
💯 39 centuries, 48 fifties
🅰️ 61.83 average
✊ 112 catches

A run machine 💥🙌 pic.twitter.com/0l0cDy4TYz

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

ICC Men's T20I Player of the Decade: Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

🇦🇫 RASHID KHAN is the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade 👏👏

☝️ Highest wicket-taker in the #ICCAwards period ➜ 89
🅰️ 12.62 average 🤯
💥 Three four-wicket hauls, two five-fors

What a story ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Y59Y6nCs98

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

ICC Men's Associate Player of the Decade: Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)

ICC Women's ODI Player of the Decade: Ellyse Perry (Australia)

ICC Women's T20I Player of the Decade: Ellyse Perry (Australia)

💬 "It has been tremendous to develop the women's T20 game and take it forward. Amazing to see where it's come from when I was introduced to it."

Ellyse Perry talks about winning the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade award 🙌#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/94ATiVUQl4

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

ICC Women's Associate Player of the Decade: Kathryn Bryce

ICC Teams of the Decade 

ICC's Men's T20I Team of the Decade: MS Dhoni (c), Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga.

ICC's Men's ODI Team of the Decade: MS Dhoni (c), Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Ben Stokes, Shakib Al Hasan, Imran Tahir, Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult and Lasith Malinga.

ICC's Men's Test Team of the Decade: Virat Kohli (c), Alistair Cook, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Ben Stokes, R Ashwin, Dale Steyn, Stuart Broad and James Anderson.