Maharaj and Khaka take top honours at CSA Awards
Keshav Maharaj and Ayabonga Khaka were named the 2021/22 SA
Men’s and SA Women’s Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa’s virtual
awards ceremony which was held on Sunday evening.
A truly memorable occasion for Maharaj and Khaka, who were also voted as favourites by their teammates to claim the SA Men and SA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year awards, respectively.
In the men’s awards, other winners included Kagiso Rabada, who was named the Test Player of the Year, Aiden Markram was named the T20 International Player of the Year, and Janneman Malan who was named the One-Day International Player of the Year.
Marco Jansen was named the International Newcomer of the Year and Mitchell van Buuren named the Domestic Newcomer of the Season.
Notable winners from the women’s categories were Lizelle Lee (Momentum Women's T20 International Player of the Year) and Laura Wolvaardt (Momentum Women's One-Day International Player of the Year).
For The Best Delivery Fueled by KFC and voted for by the fans, Simon Harmer took the award for the dismissal of Najmul Hossain Shanto in the first Test match against Bangladesh in Durban.
The SA Fans’ Player of the Year went to David Miller. With all voting done on the CSA App, Miller was the fan’s favourite after an explosive white-ball season.
Nonkululeko Mlaba was honoured with the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award, which celebrates the perseverance, passion and the overwhelming pride of people who have used their talent to change their circumstances.
On the domestic front, Sisanda Magala was the biggest winner of the night, taking home three awards.
Magala won the Division 1 One-Day Cup Player of the Season, Domestic Players' Player of the Season, and the SACA Most Valuable Player Award.
Honours were also recorded on the Amateur Awards as Tazmin Brits took home the CSA Women's Provincial Player of the Year, Dewald Brevis named the CSA U19 Player of the Year, Boland’s Nathan Engelbrecht named the CSA Rural Cricket Player of the Year and T20 Community Cup Player of the Tournament.
CSA Chief Executive Officer, Pholetsi Moseki congratulated all the winners:
“I warmly congratulate our winners in all international, domestic, and amateur levels.
“The players have endured a lot during the past two years as the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the conditions of our game. Our teams’ tenacity is seen in the improvement of our national teams and the opportunities that our pipeline continues to provide nationwide.
“A big thank you to our umpires, grounds staff and scorers, who ensured that CSA delivers another fantastic season.
“Our gratitude goes out to our sponsors and partners who have stood beside us in these challenging economic times. Your support has helped us keep our cricket and pipeline programmes thriving.
“We look forward to the upcoming action-packed season as South Africa gets to host the inaugural ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and the ICC Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023.
“We will also be hosting the inaugural star-studded Twenty20 competition, a first on the African continent.”
CSA Board Chairperson, Lawson Naidoo said:
“This season validated the new CSA two-division domestic structure, which delivered an exhilarating blend of cricket in South Africa.
“We have seen our athletes giving their best in the field of play, spectacles that assured us that talent and skill are plentiful in our setups.
“On behalf of the Board of Cricket South Africa, I congratulate all the winners today. Congratulations also go out to all the nominees as these awards are a candid reflection of why cricket is such a powerful agent of change.”
