England quartet win Wisden Cricketers of the Year award

Swann, Broad, Onions and Prior all featured in England's tour to South Africa

Four members of England's 2009 Ashes-winning team have been selected among Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann, fast bowlers Stuart Broad and Graham Onions and wicketkeeper Matt Prior were named alongside Australia's Michael Clarke.

The England quartet played an instrumental role in England's 2-1 series victory against Australia.

India's opener Virender Sehwag is the first player to retain his place as Leading Cricketer in the World.

Previous winners of the award, introduced in 2004, include Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Andrew Flintoff and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Sehwag earned his second successive accolade after he became the first Test cricketer to score at more than a run a ball in 2009.

Swann was also named in Wisden's Test XI alongside England captain Andrew Strauss and fast bowler James Anderson.

Swann took 54 Test wickets during 2009, the first time an England spinner has managed more than 50 in a year, as well as contributing vital runs lower down the order with his free-flowing strokeplay.

The 31-year-old also reached a career-high second place in the ICC Test rankings last month.

Team-mate Prior was recently dropped from England's one-day and Twenty20 team for the tour to Bangladesh in favour of Somerset's Craig Kieswetter.

But Alastair Cook, who led the tour to Bangladesh in Strauss's absence, has said Prior's place in the Test side is safe.

Sussex chairman Jim May praised Prior's "dedication and will to succeed" and said: "We are all absolutely delighted that Matt, who came through the Sussex youth system, has received this accolade."

Fast bowler Onions also impressed in 2009, taking five wickets on debut against West Indies at Lord's.

He played in three Tests against Australia but was dropped for the fifth and final Test in favour of Durham team-mate Steve Harmison.

Broad has become a permanent fixture in England's starting XI and his devastating 5-37 first-innings burst at The Oval against Australia paved the way for an England victory, securing the urn with a 2-1 series win.

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Wisden's Test XI of 2009: Virender Sehwag (India), Andrew Strauss (England), Gautam Gambhir (India), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk & capt, India), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Graeme Swann (England), Peter Siddle (Australia), James Anderson (England)