National cricket coach Gus Logie has hailed fellow West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was named International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year earlier this week.

The left- handed batsman was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy following a prolific year with the bat during which the Guyanese national ammassed 819 runs at an average of 91.00 in only eight Test appearances.

Chanderpaul scored 442 runs during the Windies' three-match Test series against world champions Austraila on home soil earlier this year to take his overall Test tally to 8001 – fourth on the all-time West Indies list behind legends Brian Lara, Sir Viv Richards and Sir Gary Sobers.

Logie yesterday described Chanderpaul as a dedicated cricketer whose ongoing pursuit of excellence now appears to be paying dividends.

"Persistance always pays off and I must congratulate Chanderpaul who has done extremely well for himself and West Indies cricket over the years," he said. "He has always been a hard worker and an individual who always wants to improve himself.

"At the end of the day hard work pays off and that is what we are now seeing with Chanderpaul.

"It is good to know that a West Indian can be on top of the world and his achievement is certainly a lift for West Indies cricket."

Chanderpaul, who missed the Windies' Tri Series against ICC Associates Bermuda and Canada in Toronto last month, could not have asked for a better birthday gift having turned 34 three weeks ago.

"The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy . . .. wow! I feel really great! This is amazing!," Chanderpaul exclaimed.

"To win an award which carries the name of the great man (Sobers) is truly an honour and I have to say this is extremely special to me.

"This is a prestigious award and I will cherish it for the rest of my life."

Chanderpaul also thanked his many supporters.

"I am very thankful to God for blessing me with the talent that I have. I would like to thank my family – in particular my wife Amy – for their constant support over the years," he added. "A special thank you goes out to my manager, my agent and all my supporters in the Caribbean and throughout the world.

"It's also important that I thank my team-mates and all those involved in West Indies cricket who have played a part in helping me to reach this level. Without you all this would not have been possible."