Matt Prior named in Wisden Cricketers of the Year list

Matt Prior may have just been dropped by England for the ICC World Twenty20 - but can be heartened that in Wisden's renowned estimation he is one of the five outstanding cricketers of the past year.

England have preferred the talents of Craig Kieswetter to Prior's as their batsman-wicketkeeper option at the top of the order in cricket's shortest format.

But Prior's contribution as England regained the Ashes in a rollercoaster series last summer has persuaded the publishers of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, whose 2010 edition is available in the shops from tomorrow, that he is worthy of coveted inclusion among their Five Cricketers of the Year.

He is joined this year in the elite list - inaugurated in 1889 - by his fellow Ashes winners Stuart Broad, Graham Onions (also absent from England's current Twenty20 squad, but suffering with a back injury) and Graeme Swann.

The other name, in a category whose chief criterion is always the contenders' influence on the previous English summer, is Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke.

Elsewhere in this year's almanack, International Cricket Council world number one Test batsman Virender Sehwag unsurprisingly retains his place at the top of Wisden's list too.

Little explanation is needed for Indian opener Sehwag's achievement as the first player to remain Leading Cricketer in the World, since Wisden introduced the award six years ago.

Wisden editor Scyld Berry nonetheless points out: "In 2009, Sehwag broke Test cricket's sound barrier by scoring at more than a run a ball."

Sehwag also opens up in Wisden's 2009 Test XI, led by his compatriot Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a side also containing five combatants from last summer's Ashes tussle.

The team does not, however, include Australia captain Ricky Ponting - who loses his place from the inaugural line-up last year, along with Graeme Smith and Kevin Pietersen among others.

Other highlights in this year's edition include England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower's attempts in their own words to explain the anomaly of how their team managed to beat Australia - even though many of the match-by-match statistics which usually attend victory were not in their favour.

The 147th edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is released tomorrow. Hardback and soft cover versions have recommended retail prices of £45.