Ramprakash Is Named NatWest PCA Player Of The Year 2006 - 25/09/2006

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), in association with NatWest and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), this evening named Mark Ramprakash as the NatWest PCA Player of the Year. Ramprakash, who this season helped Surrey achieve promotion to the top division of the Liverpool Victoria County Championship, secured the most votes from his fellow players.

Having started his professional career with Middlesex in 1987, Ramprakash made his Test debut in the 1991 series against the West Indies. A talented and highly technical batsman and a player of massive experience, he has had a fantastic season. At the end of August he sailed past the 2,000 first class runs mark, helped by a mighty triple century against Northamptonshire at the Brit Oval – the first of his career.

For the second year running the winner of the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year, again voted by the players, is Essex and England’s rising star, Alastair Cook.

Aged just 21 years, Cook has already notched up nine Tests, two One Day Internationals and over fifty first class matches. An accomplished left-hand opener, on his first international match against India in Nagpur last March, he joined only fifteen other Englishmen to score a century on debut. Through consistently impressing at Essex and achieving back-to-back centuries against Pakistan this summer, he has made himself an invaluable addition to the England squad.

Full details of the awards presented are:

Reg Hayter Cup for the NatWest Player of the Year 2006
Mark Ramprakash

John Arlott Cup for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year 2006 Alastair Cook

ECB Special Award 2006
David English MBE

Slazenger Sheer Instinct Award 2006
Ian Bell

MCC Spirit of Cricket Award 2006
Middlesex

PCA Special Merit Award 2006 sponsored by Brit Insurance
Dennis Amiss MBE

PCA Umpire of the Year 2006 sponsored by Accenture
Neil Mallender

Sky Sports Sixes League Award
Cameron White

Previous winners of the Reg Hayter Cup for the NatWest PCA Player of the Year Award include Andrew Flintoff (2004, 2005), Mushtaq Ahmed (2003), Michael Vaughan (2002) and Kent’s Dave Fulton (2001).

Winners of the John Arlott Cup for the NatWest PCA Young Player Award are Alastair Cook (2005), Ian Bell (2004), Kabir Ali (2003 & 2002) and Matthew Hoggard (2001).