Dhawan named Wisden's Leading Cricketer

India's dashing opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan along with England women's captain Charlotte Edwards, Australians Ryan Harris and Chris Rogers, Englisman Joe Root and South African speedster Dale Steyn have been named Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for 2013.

The five Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the editor of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack based on their "excellence in, or performance on, the previous English summer".

The Leading Cricketer of the World award, which has no such limit, recognises the strongest international performance of the previous year.

Dhawan was named as the leading cricketer since he earned the honour for his Man of the Series performance in the Champions Trophy 2013 that included centuries against South Africa and West Indies. He also made a stellar 187 off 174 balls against Australia on Test debut in Mohali,

Wisden described Edwards as "an all-time great of the game", and hailed her 18-year career, which includes the record for being the most capped woman in One-Day International cricket.

"In winning the Ashes home and away, Edwards crowned an outstanding career as an England cricketer. In November 2013 she became the first person to captain England in 100 one-day internationals - the most by a man is (Andrew) Strauss's 62 - and she has scored more 50-over and Twenty20 International runs than any woman," said Wisden in a release.

Harris was rewarded for his "heroic" Ashes performances that left him the leading wicket-taker across the two series.

For Rogers, it was his 830 runs in ten Tests against England, including two centuries in the winter Ashes, after a second chance at Test cricket that did it.

Root made a case for himself with a maiden Test century against New Zealand and an Ashes hundred at Lord's, the youngest England batsman to achieve that feat.

Steyn, meanwhile, is the second South African to be selected as Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World, after Jacques Kallis in 2007. In 2013 he was selected as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year.