Ex-Wellington cricket star Chris Rogers wins Wisden award

Rogers, who played for the club in 2003, played a key part in the Australian side which recovered from a 3-0 defeat in England to hammer Alastair Cook's men 5-0 in the return series.

Rogers, who plays for Middlesex, has maintained close ties with Wellington since his departure and club spokesman Adam Byram said: "We are delighted for him. There are a few of us who are still in contact with him and, depending on where Middlesex's fixtures are, we go and see him at different points in the season.

"His mother and father still come to the club when they are over from Australia as well so he is still very much part of the fabric of the club and he did superbly for Australia in the Ashes recently."

Rogers was named in the Australian Test squad for the 2013 Ashes series in England, more than five years after he had played his first and only Test match for Australia.

And he made his first Test century in August during Australia's first innings of the fourth test at Durham.

Opening batsman Rogers was the leading run-scorer across both Ashes series, having been recalled at the age of 35.

Bryam said: "Obviously we wanted England to win the second series but we were really proud of what Chris achieved."

Rogers is one of five players to have been named as Wisden's Cricketers of the Year, alongside England and Yorkshire star Joe Root, England women's captain Charlotte Edwards, fellow Australian Ashes winner Ryan Harris and destructive India opener Shikhar Dhawan.

Root's award comes little more than 16 months after his international debut and follows an outstanding Ashes summer for him.

For Edwards, only the second woman to win the prestigious award after her compatriot Claire Taylor five years ago, back-to-back Ashes victories home and away in the space of six months provided a compelling case for her choice.