Tamim Wisden Cricketer's best

Bangladesh's talismanic opener Tamim Iqbal has been named Test Player of the Year by the Wisden Cricketer magazine.

On the day his team-mates recorded Bangladesh's first series win against top-flight opposition - by beating New Zealand - Tamim beat contenders Graeme Swann and Virender Sehwag, who came second and third, reports Cricinfo.

During the qualifying period Tamim made 837 runs at 59.78 in seven Tests, despite his team failing to win a single Test during the year. He made 151 against India at Dhaka back in January but the highlight of the year was a pair of hundreds at Lord's and Old Trafford against a potent England attack in May and June.

The award is calculated by the marks out of 10 that the Wisden Cricketer's reporters give each player at every Test and is the second successive time a Bangladesh player has won the award after Shakib Al Hasan won last year.

"Batting with a bulldozer mentality that drew rightful comparisons with the
mighty Virender Sehwag, Tamim took the attitude that all bowlers were there
to be destroyed, irrespective of method or reputation. Though his highest
score of 151 came against India at Dhaka back in January, his finest
performances were reserved for an England attack that put all other
opponents in their pockets during a remarkable and unbeaten 18 months.
England in 2010 was no place to be a visiting batsman. With the Dukes ball
doing handstands in swing-friendly conditions, Tamim surged to a brace of
glorious hundreds at Lord's and Old Trafford that scrambled England's
gameplans and left them waiting for errors that rarely materialised," the magazine wrote in its citation for the batsman.

Tamim is currently recovering from surgery on his wrist that had ruled him out of the New Zealand series.

TOP TEN

1 Tamim Iqbal Ban 7.43
Tests 7 Runs 837 @ 59.78 HS 151
Hundreds 3 Fifties 6 SR 80.71

2 Graeme Swann Eng 7.42
Tests 12 Wkts 65 @ 23.72 BB 6-65
5-fors 7 10-fors 1 Econ 2.91

3 Virender Sehwag Ind 7.40
Tests 10 Runs 1282 @ 85.46 HS 293
Hundreds 6 Fifties 4 SR 97.34

4 Simon Katich Aus 7.39
Tests 9 Runs 991 @ 61.93 HS 106
Hundreds 2 Fifties 8 SR 50.30

5 Dale Steyn SA 7.38
Tests 8 Wkts 53 @ 20.78 BB 7-51
5-fors 3 10-fors 1 Econ 3.20

6 Morne Morkel SA 7.22
Tests 9 Wkts 37 @ 24.62 BB 5-75
5-fors 1 10-fors 0 Econ 3.11

7 Sachin Tendulkar Ind 7.10
Tests 10 Runs 1064 @ 81.84 HS 203
Hundreds 6 Fifties 3 SR 56.38

8 Zaheer Khan Ind 7.07
Tests 7 Wkts 32 @ 27.37 BB 7-87
5-fors 2 10-fors 1 Econ 3.61

9= Jacques Kallis SA 7.00
Tests 9 Runs 849 @ 60.64 HS 173
Hundreds 4 Fifties 2 SR 49.53

9= James Anderson Eng 7.00
Tests 10 Wkts 48 @ 22.64 BB 6-17
5-fors 3 10-fors 1 Econ 2.80