London: Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan got the better of Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and South African skipper Graeme Smith to be named the Wisden Test Cricketer of the Year.

The 22-year-old Shakib, who has been going through a rich vein of form in the past one year with brilliant performances in Bangladesh’s series wins in West Indies and Zimbabwe, topped the performance table of all test players based on marks awarded Wisden Cricketer correspondents, who reported on every test match played during the judging period.

Shakib averaged 7.94 out of 10 for each of the eight Tests he played between the beginning of September 2008 and the end of August 2009. He also took 45 wickets at 23 with his left-arm spin, including five five-fors, in addition to scoring 498 runs at an average of 35.57.

This performance, which placed him ahead of more-established Gambhir, Smith, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Dale Steyn and Andrew Strauss, would mean a lot to him as he became the first Bangladeshi to be given this honour.

“I guess I owe my performance to keeping things simple. I don’t lose sleep over disappointments and rather look ahead to seize the next opportunity. I have been a performer and I work hard at my game to become the best cricketer I can be. Getting recognised by The Wisden Cricketer is the pinnacle of individual recognition as far as I am concerned,” Shakib said.

Wisden editor John Stern said though a surprise choice, Shakib deserves it for his consistency in the past 12 months. “I’m sure this achievement will be a surprise to many followers of the game but it represents an outstanding 12 months for Shakib, especially in the context of him playing for an international side that is still finding its feet,” he said.

Shakib is optimistic about Bangladesh’s future prospects and hopes to see it become a top side. “One day we will be right up there at the top and it is a realistic prospect. Just look at the players we have. Tamim Iqbal, Ashraful, Mortaza can be match-winners and now we have Rubel (Hossain) who can bowl at 90mph. Give us a few years to grow together. Teams who face us in the coming months will be taking on a victorious unit and not the Bangladesh of old. There is a difference you will notice,” he said.

Wisden Cricketer World Test Player of the Year: 1. Shakib Al Hasan (7.94), 2. Gautam Gambhir (7.63), 3. Graeme Smith (7.21), 4. Sachin Tendulkar (7.00), Jacques Kallis (7.00), 6. Ben Hilfenhaus (6.94), 7. Andrew Flintoff (6.88), Dale Steyn (6.88), 9. Fidel Edwards (6.81), 10. Andrew Strauss (6.77).

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