Australia’s Ricky Ponting is selected as captain for second year in a row and named in the team for third year running.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its World ODI Team of the Year, as chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd.

The announcement was made at the LG ICC Awards celebration at The Westin Hotel, Dubai. Presented in association with FICA, the ICC Awards recognise the best international players of the past 12 months.

The ICC World ODI Team of the Year is (in batting order):

Hershelle Gibbs (SA)
Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)
Ricky Ponting (Aus, captain)
Yunus Khan (Pak)
Andrew Symonds (Aus)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind, wicketkeeper)
Farveez Maharoof (SL)
Daniel Vettori (NZ)
Brett Lee (Aus)
Mitchell Johnson (Aus)
Nathan Bracken (Aus)
12th man: Salman Butt (Pak)

Six countries are represented in the 12-man line-up and two players – Ricky Ponting of Australia and India’s Sachin Tendulkar – also appeared in the World ODI Team of the Year in 2007. Indeed, Ponting appeared in the ODI Team of the Year for 2006 as well while Andrew Symonds had previously been named in the 2005 team.

Ponting is named as captain of the team for the second year running.

The presentations were made by ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle. Chairman of the ICC Awards Selection Panel, Clive Lloyd, said his panel felt it had selected a great team, full of variation, depth and potential match-winners in every department.

Lloyd was joined on the panel by former Australia captain Greg Chappell, recently retired South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock, former Sri Lanka opener Sidath Wettimuny and former Bangladesh batsman Athar Ali Khan. Statistics were available as a guide but were not necessarily the overwhelming factor in the choices made.

The ICC ODI Team of the Year was one of two teams selected by the ICC selection panel along with the Test line-up. There were also eight individual prizes given at this year’s LG ICC Awards.