Ceat India Limited is all set to celebrate the success and glory of Indian cricket with ' CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) awards 2007 ' on October 18, 2007 at Mumbai. Eminent cricketers from India and Australia will be present at the awards function. The awards will honour the best of the Indian cricketers based on their performances as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2006 – 2007.

CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) is the first cricket rating to officially recognize and reward cricketers for their performances in the international cricket arena

Celebrating the diamond jubilee of Indo-Australian cricket and the spirits of the millions of fans across the two countries, CEAT has announced the ' CCR Lifetime Achievement Award' – to honour one player from each team. The Lifetime Achievement award recipients have been selected based on the Retro-CEAT cricket ratings, and has taken into consideration the performances of Indian and Australian players in mutual test matches since 1947. The Lifetime Achievement award will carry a cash prize of US $5,000 each.

Mr. Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Group said, 'The CCR International Award function is a reiteration of the close association CEAT has with cricket and our endeavor to recognize the individual brilliances on the international cricket scene. CEAT Cricket Ratings celebrates the diamond jubilee of Indo-Australian cricket with the Lifetime Achievement awards.' He added, "This year has witnessed 2 cricket world cups and brought to the fore the champions of the 50 over and 20 over versions of cricket. While the exuberance of the youth from small towns has led India to the T20 world championship crown, the Aussies have reigned supreme in the 50 over format owing to their clinical performances."

The Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2006-07 for cricketing excellence will be in four categories – 'CCR Best Bowler' ', 'CCR Best Batsman','CCR Best Cricketer' and 'CCR Best Cricket Team'. While the Best Bowler and Best Batsman shall get cash reward of US $5,000, Best Cricketer shall get US $7,500 and Best Team shall receive a cash reward of US $ 10,000.

In another pioneering move, CEAT will also introduce the CEAT Under 19 & T20 ratings . These rating have been introduced with a vision to catch and promote young talent, from across the country especially the talent from small towns.

Mr. Sunil Gavaskar, said, "CEAT Cricket Rating is the first rating in the world that recognized and rewarded international cricketersfor their outstanding performances at the end of the year. They are very comprehensive and easy to understand. The ratings are pretty much accurate as you can see some of the modern greats like Brain Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ricky Ponting etc winning the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year in the past."

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ABOUT THE CEAT CRICKET RATINGS AWARDS:

The CEAT Cricket Rating was the first rating system in international cricket to recognize and reward outstanding performers in cricket on an annual basis. Conceived in 1995 by CEAT, the CEAT CRICKET RATINGS attempted to answer every cricket-lover's persistent and perennial query – "Who is the best of the best?"

The CEAT Cricket Rating stands out by virtue of its simplicity. It comprises an objective points system that awards points to cricketers for their batting, bowling and fielding performances. There is a separate CEAT Team Rating (initiated in 1996-97) that assigns points to teams on the basis of their performances in Tests and one-day internationals.

The CEAT Cricket Year commences on 1st May and ends on 30th April of the following calendar year. The cricketer and team that accumulate the highest number of points in their respective categories at the end of this twelve-month period are declared the CEAT Cricket Rating International Cricketer and Team of the Year respectively.

The past winners of the CEAT Cricket Rating have been:

Year

Cricketer of the Year

Team of the Year

1995-96

Brian Lara

N/A

1996-97

Venkatesh Prasad

Pakistan

1997-98

Sanath Jayasuriya

Australia

1998-99

Jacques Kallis

South Africa

1999-00

Sourav Ganguly

Australia

2000-01

Muttiah Muralitharan

South Africa

2001-02

Muttiah Muralitharan

Australia

2002-03

Ricky Ponting

Australia

2003-04

Brian Lara

Australia

2004-05

Jacques Kallis

Australia

2005-06

Ricky Ponting

Australia

The adjudicators

The CEAT CRICKET RATINGS are overseen by cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar, who is the adjudicator for the ratings.

ABOUT CEAT

The flagship company of the RPG Enterprises, CEAT Tyres was established in 1958. Today, CEAT is one of India 's leading tyre manufacturers, with an annual turnover of Rs 2,391 crores. CEAT's solid brand equity has empowered the company to establish a strong presence in both, domestic and international markets. CEAT tyres, tubes and flaps are renowned for their superior quality and durability, and is recognised as being 'born tough'.

The board headed by Mr. R P Goenka, Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Harsh Goenka, Chairman and Mr. Sanjiv Goenka, Vice-Chairman manages RPG Enterprises.