CSA Announces Cricket South Africa Annual Award Winners

Quinton de Kock and Laura Wolvaardt headline Cricket South Africa’s annual awards, recognizing 2023-24's top performers. De Kock was named ODI Player of the Year, while Wolvaardt received five awards, including Women’s Player of the Year. Other winners include Reeza Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, and Marco Jansen.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Friday that Quinton de Kock has been honored as the South African ODI Player of the Year for his exceptional performance during the 2023 World Cup, where he scored four centuries. Despite retiring from 50-over cricket, his feats were duly recognized.

Reeza Hendricks was awarded T20I Player of the Year for being the only South African batter to score a half-century in the evaluated period, excluding the T20 World Cup. The left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who made an impressive comeback from an Achilles injury during the ODI World Cup, received the Players' Player of the Year award. Marco Jansen was named Men's Player of the Year for his all-around efforts, including taking 17 wickets at the ODI World Cup and excelling in the Boxing Day Test against India.

The awards, covering achievements from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, did not take into account the performances at the June Men's T20 World Cup and series in the West Indies, which will be included in next year's awards. This year's ceremony was held in September to ensure all nationally contracted players could attend, as their commitments to the IPL make them unavailable in May.

David Bedingham earned the Test Player of the Year award for his stellar debut against India and performances in New Zealand, also being named International Newcomer of the Year. In the domestic arena, Nqabayomzi Peter, who led the Lions to the CSA T20 Cup victory and debuted internationally in June, was named Men's Domestic Newcomer of the Season and T20 Challenge Player of the Season. Lions' all-rounder Wiaan Mulder was honored as the four-day domestic Player of the Season, while Mihlali Mpongwana from Western Province won the one-day Domestic Player of the Season award twice.

In the women's category, Nonkululeko Mlaba was named one-day Player of the Season, and Tazmin Brits was recognized as the T20 Player of the Season for being the leading run-scorer in the domestic T20 tournament. Laura Wolvaardt, the women's captain of South Africa, was the night's big winner, taking home five awards, including Women's Player of the Year, Women's ODI Player of the Year, Women's T20I Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, and Fans' Player of the Year, based on her outstanding performance during the 2023-24 season. Marizanne Kapp won the Best Delivery award for her terrific inswinger that bowled Beth Mooney in South Africa's first ODI win over Australia.

Masabata Klaas was honored with the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award for overcoming substantial challenges to build her cricketing career. A single mother who returned to the sport with her mother's support, Klaas played a key role in South Africa's qualification for the 2021 50-over World Cup, ranking high among South Africa's top ODI and T20I wicket-takers. She has also taken up a mentoring role in the women's team.

(With inputs from agencies.)