Kagiso Rabada, the world’s No 1-ranked Test bowler, and Aiden Markram – a top-10 batsman after 10 Tests – dominate the nominations for the CSA Awards.
The gala event to honour South Africa’s top performing cricketers over the past year will take place on 2 June in Johannesburg.
Rabada has been nominated as SA Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year, ODI Cricketer of the Year and RAM Delivery of the Year. He could yet secure his peers’ vote as SA Players’ Player of the Year and could be a contender for SA Fans’ Cricketer of the Year.
The 22-year-old quick was named SA Cricketer of the Year in 2016 and has the chance to emulate Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers in winning the award twice.
Last year he made history as the first South African cricketer to win six individual awards at the annual awards ceremony.
This is the first year that Markram qualifies for one of the national awards, having only made his debut in the Sunfoil Test series against Bangladesh in September last year. He has been nominated for International Newcomer of the Year and goes head-to-head with Rabada for SA Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year.
Lungi Ngidi, now playing in the IPL, has been nominated for the RAM Delivery of the Year and International Newcomer of the Year awards.
In addition to Rabada and Markram, the other nominations for CSA’s supreme award, the SA Cricketer of the Year, are AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar and Vernon Philander.
In the women’s section, there are four nominations each for Momentum Proteas captain Dane van Niekerk and fast bowler Shabnim Ismail and three nominations for teenaged star Laura Wolvaardt.
The CSA Awards Judging Panel consists of Aslam Khota (convener), Neil Manthorp, Victor Mpitsang, Robin Peterson, and Shafiek Abrahams with statistical input from Andrew Samson.
Proteas fans can also have their say in the SA Fans’ Cricketer of the Year and the RAM Delivery of the Year awards. How the voting mechanism works can be found on CSA’s Social Media platforms.
Selected awards:
Africa T20 Cup Rising Star: Sarel Erwee (KZN), Andries Gous (Free State), Nduduzo Mfosa (KZN)
Domestic Newcomer of the Season: Alfred Mothoa (Titans), Mthiwekhaya Nabe (Cape Cobras), Kyle Verreynne (Cape Cobras)
Momentum One-Day Cup Cricketer of the Season: Gihahn Cloete (Warriors), Pieter Malan (Cape Cobras), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans)
Ram Slam T20 Challenge Cricketer of the Season: Farhaan Behardien (Titans), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans)
Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Season: Zubayr Hamza (Cape Cobras), Simon Harmer (Warriors), Rudi Second (Knights)
International Newcomer of the Season: Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi
T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Farhaan Behardien, Junior Dala, AB de Villiers
ODI Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada
Test Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada
Ram Delivery of the Year: Kesh Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada
T20 Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Shabnim Ismail, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk
ODI Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk, Laura Wolvaardt
SA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Shabnim Ismail, Dane van Niekerk, Laura Wolvaardt
Momentum Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk, Laura Wolvaardt
SA Cricketer of the Year: Dean Elgar, AB de Villiers, Aiden Markram, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada
Photo: Deryck Foster/BackpagePix
