South Africa’s leading men’s and women’s cricketers will soon be rewarded for their performances over the last season.
Spin bowler Nonkululeko Mlaba is in line to rake in a long list of accolades at the annual Cricket South Africa awards to be held during a gala function at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park on 31 July.
The nominees for the awards, which recognises players for their performances during the 2024/25 season, were announced on Tuesday, with Mlaba unveiled among the names in five categories.
She is up for Women’s T20I Player of the Year, Women’s ODI Player of the Year and Women’s Player of the Year. In addition, she could win Delivery of the Year (for which she has two nominations) and SA Fans’ Player of the Year.
In the SA women’s team’s only Test of the season, Mlaba took 10 wickets against England in Bloemfontein in December. She also grabbed 14 scalps in 11 limited overs matches for the national team during the 2024/25 campaign.
Stars in line for awards
Meanwhile, six other international players are in line for three gongs each. They are Proteas men Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada and Ryan Rickelton, and Proteas women Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp and Annerie Dercksen.
The nominees for Men’s Player of the Year are Rabada, Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen, and the Women’s Player of the Year nominees are Mlaba, Wolvaardt, Kapp and Dercksen.
“The CSA Awards are a celebration of excellence, perseverance and the undeniable spirit of South African cricket,” said CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki.
“This past season, we witnessed history being made and barriers being broken, from our senior national teams reaching unprecedented global finals to our youth and domestic teams continuing to set the bar higher.
“We are proud to honour those who have inspired a nation and left an indelible mark on the game, and we look forward to celebrating these remarkable contributions on one of our sport’s most prestigious nights.”
CSA Awards nominees (international categories)
Men’s T20 International Player of the Year
● Ottneil Baartman
● Quinton de Kock
● Reeza Hendricks
● Anrich Nortje
● Tristan Stubbs
Men’s ODI Players of the Year
● Heinrich Klaasen
● Ryan Rickelton
● Lizaad Williams
Men’s Test Player of the Year
● Temba Bavuma
● Keshav Maharaj
● Kagiso Rabada
● Ryan Rickelton
● Kyle Verreynne
SA Men’s Player of the Year
● Temba Bavuma
● Marco Jansen
● Keshav Maharaj
● Ryan Rickelton
● Kagiso Rabada
International Men’s Newcomer of the Year
● Ottneil Baartman
● Corbin Bosch
● Matthew Breetzke
● Kwena Maphaka
Men’s Best Delivery
● Nandre Burger to Mikyle Louis, WI v SA Test
● Marco Jansen to Dinesh Chandimal, SA v SL Test
● Kagiso Rabada to Mushfiqur Rahim, BAN v SA Test
● Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, SA v PAK Test
Women’s T20 International Player of the Year
● Anneke Bosch
● Tazmin Brits
● Marianne Kapp
● Nonkululeko Mlaba
● Laura Wolvaardt
Women’s ODI Player of the Year
● Annerie Dercksen
● Marianne Kapp
● Nonkululeko Mlaba
● Chloe Tryon
● Laura Wolvaardt
SA Women’s Player of the Year
● Annerie Dercksen
● Marizanne Kapp
● Nonkululeko Mlaba
● Laura Wolvaardt
Women’s Best Delivery
● Ayanda Hlubi to Sophie Ecclestone, SA v ENG Test
● Masabala Klaas to Harleen Deol, SA v IND Tri-Series
● Nonkululeko Mlaba to Ryana MacDonald-Gay, SA v ENG Test
● Nonkululeko Mlaba to Sobhana Mostary, SA v Bangladesh T20
SA Fans’ Player of the Year
● Temba Bavuma
● Annerie Dercksen
● Karabo Meso
● Nonkululeko Mlaba
● Tristan Stubbs
● Kyle Verreynne