The LG ICC Awards is presented in association with FICA (the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations)

2008 is the fifth year of the ICC Awards; previous ICC Awards have been held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006) and Johannesburg (2007)

The ICC's commercial partner for the awards is LG Electronics and the broadcast partner is ESPN STAR Sports

This year's ceremony will take place on 10 September at The Westin Hotel, Dubai

The LG ICC Awards are made up of eight individual awards and three team awards. The individual awards are:

Cricketer of the Year (The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy)
Emerging Player of the Year
ODI Player of the Year
Test Player of the Year
Umpire of the Year
Women's Cricketer of the Year
Associate Player of the Year
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year*

* Denotes new award for 2008

In addition, players are selected for the ICC Test and ICC ODI Teams of the Year and one of the 16 teams that plays men's senior international cricket (10 ICC Full Members and six Associates) is chosen for the Spirit of Cricket Award

The winners of each individual award and the Spirit of Cricket Award will receive a crystal trophy created by Swarovski

The 12 players chosen in each of the ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year each receive commemorative caps

The Test and ODI teams and the nominees for the individual men's awards are chosen by the ICC Selection Panel. This year it is made up of the following individuals:

Clive Lloyd (chairman) - One of the most recognisable and respected figures in world cricket, Lloyd captained the West Indies to the first two ICC Cricket World Cups (in 1975 and 1979) and played a crucial role in the overall success of the team during the 1970s and early 1980s. As a big, hard-hitting, left-handed batsman he scored more than 7,500 runs in 110 Tests, including 19 centuries, and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1971. When he retired from playing, he remained involved as a coach, manager, ICC match referee and is currently chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee.

Shaun Pollock - Recently retired from international cricket, Pollock is the youngest member of the selection panel but his knowledge of the game and recent experience has made him a valuable part of it. As a bowling all-rounder of immense talent, Pollock took 421 Test wickets at a world-class average of 23.11 while also managing to achieve a batting average above 32. A hero in his native South Africa, Pollock is also much admired beyond those shores and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2003.

Athar Ali Khan - One of the trailblazers for modern-day Bangladesh cricket, Athar Ali Khan's playing career divned the late 1980s and most of the 1990s as his country sought to break through to the big time. A right-handed batsman of renown, Athar began life as a middle-order batsman but was encouraged later in his career to move up to open the innings. After retirement he moved into TV commentating where his articulate and knowledgeable contributions have made him popular with viewers. He has also served as a Bangladesh national selector.

Greg Chappell - An Australian legend, Chappell's record speaks for itself. In a 13-year Test career, he played 87 matches and scored 7,110 runs at an average of 53.86. In all he hit 24 centuries, two of which he scored in his first match as captain. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1973 and managed to register hundreds in both his first and last Tests for his country. After retiring, Chappell became a respected radio commentator and then turned his talents to coaching, his most high-profile appointment to date being the India national coach, a job he did from 2005 to 2007.

Sidath Wettimuny - An opening batsman of solid technique and even temperament, Wettimuny has the claim to fame of being the first Sri Lanka player to score a Test century, as he put on 217 for the second wicket with Roy Dias against Pakistan in Faisalabad. He was a mainstay at the top of the order as his country made a name for itself at the highest level in the 1980s. His highest Test score of 190 came against England at Lord's in 1984. Once he retired from the game, Sidath was determined to remain involved and became an ICC match referee in 1997. He also has experience of picking out elite players, having been chairman of selectors for the Sri Lanka team

The selectors use their knowledge, skill and judgment to assess players' performances during the voting period of 9 August 2007 - 12 August 2008

The long-lists they have compiled for the individual awards will be voted upon by the ICC Voting Academy, a group of 25 that is made up of renowned former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire, elite match referee and the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee

The Spirit of Cricket Award is voted upon by the Emirates Elite Panel match referees and umpires and the captains of the ICC Full Members

Players eligible for the Emerging Player of the Year award must be under 26 years of age at the start of the voting period (9 August 2007) and have played no more than five Test matches and/or 10 ODIs before the start of the voting period

The nominations for the Women's Cricketer of the Year Award were decided after each of the world's top 10 teams was given the opportunity to nominate two players. This award will be voted on by a separate 16-person voting academy featuring former players and other experts on the women's game

This year sees the introduction of a new award, the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award, which will mark an outstanding individual effort in this newest format of the international game

The Associate ODI Player of the Year Award has been upgraded to the Associate Player of the Year Award and serves to recognise and reward the efforts in ODIs and other international matches of the outstanding cricketer from the top teams outside the ICC Full Members

Past winners of ICC Awards are:

2004
Cricketer of the Year (the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) - Rahul Dravid (India)
Emerging Player of the Year - Irfan Pathan (India)
ODI Player of the Year - Andrew Flintoff (England)
Test Player of the Year - Rahul Dravid (India)
Umpire of the Year - Simon Taufel
Spirit of Cricket - New Zealand

2005
Cricketer of the Year (the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) - Andrew Flintoff (England) & Jacques Kallis (South Africa) - joint winners
Emerging Player of the Year - Kevin Pietersen (England)
ODI Player of the Year - Kevin Pietersen (England)
Test Player of the Year - Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
Umpire of the Year - Simon Taufel
Spirit of Cricket - England

2006
Cricketer of the Year (the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) - Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Women's Cricketer of the Year - Karen Rolton (Australia)
Emerging Player of the Year - Ian Bell (England)
Captain of the Year - Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka)
ODI Player of the Year - Michael Hussey (Australia)
Test Player of the Year - Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Umpire of the Year - Simon Taufel
Spirit of Cricket - England

2007
Cricketer of the Year (the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) - Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Women's Cricketer of the Year - Jhulan Goswami (India)
Emerging Player of the Year - Shaun Tait (Australia)
Captain of the Year - Ricky Ponting (Australia)
ODI Player of the Year - Matthew Hayden (Australia)
Test Player of the Year - Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan)
Umpire of the Year - Simon Taufel
Spirit of Cricket - Sri Lanka
Associate ODI Player of the Year - Thomas Odoyo (Kenya)

Previous ICC selection panel members were: 2004 - Sunil Gavaskar (Chairman), Richie Benaud, Ian Botham, Michael Holding and Barry Richards; 2005 - Sunil Gavaskar (Chairman), David Gower, Sir Richard Hadlee, Rodney Marsh and Courtney Walsh; 2006 - Sunil Gavaskar (Chairman), Allan Donald, Ian Healy, Arjuna Ranatunga and Waqar Younis; 2007 - Sunil Gavaskar (chairman), Chris Cairns, Gary Kirsten, Iqbal Qasim, Alec Stewart.