Cape Town — The Cricket SA Awards — also known as “SA Cricket’s Oscars” — return on Friday evening at Vodaworld in Midrand for the first in-person ceremony post Covid-19.
Its significance cannot be understated after the low-key virtual ceremonies over the past couple of years that was indicative of the administrative turmoil Cricket SA had experienced.
But with CSA seemingly getting its house in order over the past 12 months there is reason to celebrate again, especially after the Proteas Women’s team historic feat in becoming the first South Africa senior team to reach an ICC T20 World Cup final and the relative resurgence of the Proteas’ Men’s team during the home international season.
An almost ironic embodiment of this turnaround in fortunes, particularly for the Proteas Men’s team, is Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma.
After a “crazy emotional rollercoaster” couple of months that forced Bavuma to take a mental-health break, the skipper returned refreshed to enjoy his finest international season.
Relieved of the T20 leadership reins after the Proteas’ shock defeat to the Netherlands at the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, Bavuma played with a greater sense of freedom to strike two centuries and an undefeated 90 in four ODI innings against England, West Indies and the Dutch.
He even cast aside an inauspicious debut at Proteas Test captain with a career-best 172 in the second Test against the West Indies at the Wanderers.
These feats have seen Bavuma nominated across four categories, which includes Men’s ODI Player of the Year, Men’s Test Player of the Year and SA Men’s Player of the Year.
It certainly was a season of comebacks with Aiden Markram, who replaced Bavuma as Proteas Men’s T20 captain after leading the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural Betway SA20 championship, also finding his groove in both the Test and ODI arena after a couple of barren seasons.
Markram has been nominated in both those categories along with the coveted SA Men’s Player of the Year.
Fellow SA Men’s Player of the Year nominees include last year’s winner Anrich Nortje (ODI, Test, T20) and David Miller (ODI and T20).
The future of the Proteas Men’s team also looks bright with the emergence of young stars such as fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, top-order batter Tony de Zorzi and the swashbuckling Tristan Stubbs being nominated for International Men’s Newcomer of the Year.
The Proteas Women’s team's amazing achievements over the past year have been headlined by star trio Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp and the recently retired Shabnim Ismail.
They have been nominated across all three major categories including Women’s ODI Player of the Year, Women’s T20 Player of the Year and the coveted SA Women’s Player of the Year.
Wolvaardt, in particular, finished as the overall leading run-scorer at the ICC T20 World Cup held in South Africa for the first time with 230 runs at an average of 46, while Kapp (9) and Ismail (8) finished among the tournament’s top wicket-takers.
Domestically, there were also a host of competitive and entertaining encounters this past season, with the likes of Beyers Swanepoel, Bamanye Xenxe, Stefan Tait, Jordan Hermann, Ryan Rickelton and De Zorzi among the contenders in a couple of key categories.
PREMIER PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES
International Newcomer of the Year
Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs
T20 International Player of the Year
Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Rilee Rossouw
Men’s ODI Player of the Year
Temba Bavuma, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Anrich Nortje
Men’s Test Player of the Year
Temba Bavuma, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada
SA Men’s Player of the Year
Temba Bavuma, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram, David Miller
Women’s T20 International Player of the Year
Tazmin Brits, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Laura Wolvaardt
Women’s ODI International Player of the Year
Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt
SA Women’s Player of the Year