KG cleans up at 2018 Cricket Awards

This past Saturday I attended the annual Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards function in Sandton.

Kagiso Rabada and Dane van Niekerk were recognised in the company of the country’s cricketing elite when they were both named South African Cricketer of the Year in their respective categories at the glittering function

Rabada and Van Niekerk had both been previously named South African Men’s Cricketer of the Year and South African Women’s Cricketer of the Year respectively in 2016.

It was a six-star evening for Rabada who won no fewer than six awards and he has now done it both in 2016 and 2018.
No other cricketer has ever won more than five awards.

At the 2018 CSA awards

The other nine men’s player players to have received CSA’s most prestigious men’s award are Jacques Kallis (2004 and 2011), Makhaya Ntini (2005 and 2006), Hashim Amla (2010 and 2013) and AB de Villiers (2014 and 2015) who have all won the award twice with the other previous winners being Shaun Pollock (2007), Dale Steyn (2008), Graeme Smith (2009), Vernon Philander (2012) and Quinton de Kock (2017).

In addition to the main award, Rabada was named Test Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year, was honoured by his peers by being named SA Players’ Player of the Year and by the fans on being named SA Fans Player of the Year.
He also won the award for the Delivery of the Year when he dismissed David Warner in the third Test match between the Proteas and Australia at Newlands in March this year.

It has been a remarkable year for Rabada who rose to the No 1 ranking in the world in Test match cricket, cracking the 900-point barrier and is currently the leading wicket-taker in the 2018 calendar year with 38 dismissals at an average of 19.65. He is also ranked No 7 in ODI cricket and was named in the ICC Test XI for the 2017 calendar year.

The only awards he did not win for which he was eligible were the T20 International Player of the Year award that went to AB de Villiers and the Always Original Award that went to David Miller for his world record T20 International century against Bangladesh.
The International Newcomer of the Year award went to Aiden Markram who scored exactly 1 000 runs in his debut Test season at an average of 55.55 and also stood in as ODI captain at the tender age of 23.

AWARD WINNERS
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: NATIONAL
SA Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

SA Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Dane van Niekerk

Test Cricketer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

ODI Cricketer of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

T20 International Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers

SA Players’ Player of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

SA Fans’ Player of the Year:Kagiso Rabada

Always Original Award: David Miller (fastest T20 International century v Bangladesh)

Delivery of the Year: Kagiso Rabada (to Warner, 3rd Test v Australia, Newlands)

International Newcomer of the Year: Aiden Markram

SA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Laura Wolvaardt

Momentum Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Laura Wolvaardt

Momentum Women’s T20 Cricketer of the Year: Chloe Tryon

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: DOMESTIC
Cricketer of the Season: Simon Harmer (Warriors)

One-Day Cup Cricketer of the Season: Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans)

T20 Challenge Player of the Season: Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans)

Coach of the Year: Mark Boucher (Titans)

Domestic Players’ Player of the Season: Pieter Malan (Cape Cobras)

Domestic Newcomer of the Year: Kyle Verreynne (Cape Cobras)

Africa T20 Cup Player of the Tournament: Sarel Erwee (KZN Inland)

SACA Most Valuable Player Award: Jon-Jon Smuts (Warriors)

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: OPERATIONS
CSA Umpires’ Umpire of the Year: Adrian Holdstock

CSA Umpire of the Year: Shaun George

Affiliate of the Year: Northerns Cricket Union

Groundsman of the Year: Evan Flint (Newlands)