Johannesburg: Anrich Nortje and Shabnim Ismail were named SA Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year respectively at the annual Cricket South Africa (CSA) Awards that were held in Midrand.
The duo walked away with the top prizes which they won together two years ago in 2021.
The recently retired Ismail scooped the award for the third time, while Nortje took top honours for the second time in his career.
The ceremony, held at Vodaworld in Midrand, was headlined as “A Summer to Celebrate” and it was the first in-person event since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ismail ended her final season with the Proteas Women as a key member of the pace attack that spearheaded the women to their first-ever ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final earlier this year.
Nortje, who was nominated in each of the men’s categories, was rewarded for his consistent pace and accuracy across all formats.
Elsewhere, there was a double honour for Nonkululeko Mlaba. The 23-year-old left-arm spinner received the Women’s T20 International Player of the Year award along with the Women’s Players’ Player of the Year award.
Laura Wolvaardt bagged the Women’s One-Day International Player of the Year, and as the women’s game continues to rise in popularity, Sinalo Jafta was fittingly voted Fans’ Player of the Year.
Kagiso Rabada was named Test Player of the Year for a second consecutive year, with his pitch-perfect leg cutter to Kraigg Brathwaite in the first Betway Test against West Indies at SuperSport Park in March voted Best Delivery.
One-Day International captain Temba Bavuma was honoured with the Men’s One-Day international Player of the Year award while Reeza Hendricks was named Men’s T20 International Player of the Year.
Gerald Coetzee earned himself the International Men’s Newcomer of the Year gong with David Miller being voted by his peers as the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year.
Chief Executive Officer Pholetsi Moseki commented: “On behalf of Cricket South Africa, I would like to congratulate all the winners on their awards. There were so many strong performances and outstanding candidates for awards over the past season; it really made the task of the judges exceptionally tough.
“We have seen a real improvement of all our national teams over the past season, the proof of which are in the results. I would also like to really thank everyone at CSA who made these awards possible. I am really pleased that they have returned this year for the first time since Covid-19 hit us a few years back. It has been a long and painful journey for many, but to have had everyone here, together in the same room, really warms the heart.”
–IANS
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