England batter Claire Taylor has been named Women's Cricketer of the Year at the LG ICC Awards ceremony in Johannesburg.

During the voting period Taylor played 18 ODIs for England scoring 565 runs at the top of the order at an average of 70.62. She also played in six Twenty20 matches amassing 230 runs with a lofty average of 115.

The 33-year-old took the award ahead of team-mate and last year's winner Charlotte Edwards as well as Australia's Shelley Nitschke.

The award rounds off a successful year for Taylor, who was part of the England side that was victorious at both the ICC Women's World Cup and the ICC Women's World Twenty20; she also claimed the Player of the Tournament at both of these events.

Accepting the award from ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Wasim Akram in Johannesburg, Taylor said: "It has been an amazing year for women's cricket and it has been a privilege to be involved in this great England team. We have had a great team environment with Charlotte Edwards leading from the front and a fantastic support staff.

"The highlight for us was coming home from the one-day World Cup with the trophy and then playing really well in the ICC World Twenty20 at home in England.

"The ICC and ECB are working really hard to grow the women's game. We are really trying to attract more and more women and girls into cricket and I think the success of the England national team helps to do that especially when we are given the chance - like this year - to compete on the big stage."

The Women's Cricketer of the Year Award was one of eight individual prizes given at this year's LG ICC Awards.

The nominations for the Women's Cricketer of the Year were decided after a committee of former players, current administrators and journalists created a long-list. This in turn was broken down into a short-list by a separate 25-person voting academy.

Based on the period between 13 August 2008 and 24 August 2009, the LG ICC Awards 2009 - presented in association with FICA - take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.

That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England, the ICC Women's World Cup 2009 in Australia and the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2009 in South Africa, as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.

The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its sixth year and this year it is being held in Johannesburg to coincide with the ICC Champions Trophy 2009. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007) and Dubai (2008).