CEAT Sri Lanka Cricket Awards 2012 on 5 Sept.

Icons of the game whose names have entered cricket lore will rub shoulders with as yet uncelebrated club players when top tyre brand CEAT partners with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to honour the country’s cricketers at the annual CEAT Sri Lanka Cricket Awards next month.

The fourth edition of this glitzy event, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 5 September at Waters Edge, will see a total of 68 awards presented in recognition of performances in the 2011-12 cricketing season.
The highlight of the gala awards presentation will be the announcement of the ‘CEAT Cricketer of the Year’ and ‘The CEAT Peoples Player of the Year,’ chosen by cricket fans via SMS voting and social media, at a competition conducted by Sri Lanka’s leading tyre brand, a name associated with cricket on the international stage and an active sponsor of sport in the local arena.
Performances from July 2011 to June 2012 will be taken into consideration for this year’s awards, Sri Lanka Cricket and the Players Association, the joint organisers of the awards night announced at a press conference in Colombo.
“CEAT is once again delighted to partner with Sri Lanka Cricket to recognise not only excellence in all disciplines of the game, but the pleasure that players have given millions of fans in Sri Lanka and around the world, and the impact they have had on fostering the spirit of the game,” said R. Raman, VP Commercial and Business Development/Officiating CEO of CEAT Kelani Holdings.
“CEAT is a brand associated with high performance, and it has been a privilege to support Sri Lanka Cricket over the past four years. This award function is a tribute to the stalwarts of Sri Lankan Cricket and a reiteration of the close association CEAT has with cricket. It also gives us an opportunity to celebrate the performances of Sri Lanka’s cricketers and to engage with the cricket loving community via the voting competition,” he said.
Speaking on behalf Sri Lanka Cricket President Upali Dharmadasa, SLC Vice President K. Mathivanan said, “CEAT’s unstinting support to this awards event is a perfect example of how the corporate sector can play catalytic role in promoting appreciation of the efforts of our cricketers. We truly appreciate the company’s support to this important event on the annual cricket calendar.”
Awards for performances at the international level this year will recognise the best batting and bowling performances by men in Tests and One Day Internationals, the emerging player of the year and best women cricketers in ODIs. The awards for performances at the local level will go to club cricketers from the Under 23 and Women’s Divisions and performances at the Premier League Tiers A and B, Premier League Limited Over Tiers A and B, Sara Trophy Limited Over, Sara League and Donovan Andree Tournaments.
As in previous years, the ‘CEAT Peoples Player of the Year’ will be given to the player among the 60 on contract with Sri Lanka Cricket, who receives the highest number of votes from the public. Voting will commence on 10 August and close at midnight on 1 September.  Mobile phone users may vote via SMS on five mobile networks – Dialog, Etisalat, Mobitel, Hutch and Airtel – and the CDMA services of Lanka Bell, Suntel and SLT City Link by typing CEAT (space) Name of the Cricketer and sending to 6797.
For voting via Internet, a dedicated website www.ceatsrilankacricketawards.com and a page on facebook www.facebook.com/ceatsrilankacricketawards have been created by CEAT Kelani Holdings.
CEAT has been present in Sri Lanka since 1992 as an international Tyre brand with manufacturing facilities in Kalutara and Kelaniya. The country’s market leader in the commercial Tyre segment and the highest-selling brand in the radial tyre market, CEAT supported the revival of the Sri Lanka Cricket Awards in 2009.  Besides cricket CEAT also actively supports motor racing in Sri Lanka.