London, Apr 3: Cricket bible Wisden has broken with 120 years of tradition by naming a woman as one of its players of the year.

England women’s star batsman Claire Taylor has been selected along with four male players as the magazine’s Five Cricketers of the Year for 2009.

It is the first time since the highly respected accolade started in 1889 that it has been conferred on a female player, the Daily Express reports.

Taylor earned the honour after a series of outstanding performances that helped England win an Ashes series in Australia last year, with last month’s World Cup triumph capping her achievements.

The 33-year-old, who has played 109 one-day internationals, was player of the tournament in March after scoring a hundred and two half-centuries.

Taylor, who played for a men’s first eleven while she was at Oxford University, holds down a day job as a management consultant, with employer Reading University allowing her generous time off for cricket.

She spoke of her pride at the award, telling The Times: “It is an absolute honour to be part of the pantheon of players who have graced Wisden.”

The four other players named as Wisden’s cricketers of the year are the England fast bowler James Anderson, and the South Africans Dale Benkenstein, Mark Boucher, and Neil McKenzie. (ANI)