PROTEA players Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis both had a phenomenal 2016/17 season with bat in hand and will vie for the coveted SA Cricket Player of the Year award at the upcoming Cricket
SA awards ceremony scheduled for 13 May at Kyalami.
The two played a dominant role in the Proteas’ recent successes.
Du Plessis took over the team’s Test captaincy and led them to a series victory in Australia, which he followed up with a hundred in a day-night test in Adelaide.
Faf only managed one century in the Test arena and four half-centuries, coupled with breathtaking fielding.
He averaged 61.42 in ODIs last summer, scoring three tons, as South Africa won 14 out of 16 ODIs.
This includes a 5-0 series whitewash against the Aussies, where Du Plessis captained after AB De Villiers was injured.
De Kock on the other hand has improved his game dramatically, taking sublime catches and standing up to spinners.
But with wood in hand he posted two hundreds on the Test and ODI stages, averaging 47.56 in the five-day format and 50.31 in 16 ODIs.
He played a major role in Wellington, aiding his side to victory over an in-form Kiwi outfit, scoring 104 and 91 respectively.
Both players have been nominated for three awards on the evening.
CSA award nominations
• SA Cricketer of the Year – Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir.
• Test Cricketer of the Year – Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander.
• ODI Cricketer of the Year – Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Imran Tahir.
• T20 International Cricketer of the Year – Lungi Ngidi and Imran Tahir.
• Women’s Cricketer of the Year – Ayabonga Khaka, Suné Luus and Dane van Niekerk.
• Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Season – Theunis de Bruyn (Knights), Duanne Olivier (Knights) and Shaun von Berg (Titans).
• Momentum One-Day Cup Cricketer of the Season – Junior Dala (Titans), Henry Davids (Titans), Jon-Jon Smuts (Warriors) and Shaun von Berg (Titans).
• CSA T20 Challenge Cricketer of the Season – Farhaan Behardien (Titans), Andrew Birch (Warriors) and Jon-Jon Smuts (Warriors).
• Domestic Newcomer of the Season – Aiden Markram (Titans), Wiaan Mulder (Lions) and Jason Smith (Cobras).
• Africa T20 Cup Rising Star Award – Patrick Kruger (Northern Cape) and Solo Nqweni (Eastern Province).
• CSA Umpire of the Year – Adrian Holdstock, Shaun George and Bongani Jele.
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