Home » Kagiso Rabada Bowls SA Away With Another Record SIX Wins at Cricket Awards

Kagiso Rabada Bowls SA Away With Another Record SIX Wins at Cricket Awards

Kagiso Rabada scored a big SIX awards at a glittering Cricket South Africa Awards function on Saturday evening in Sandton, Johannesburg… making him the first Protea Player to ever win six awards, not once… but TWICE. (He previously won six in 2016.) No other cricketer has ever won more than five awards! Rabada, who turned […]

By SAPeople
03-06-18 00:13
in Fab South African Stuff

Kagiso Rabada scored a big SIX awards at a glittering Cricket South Africa Awards function on Saturday evening in Sandton, Johannesburg… making him the first Protea Player to ever win six awards, not once… but TWICE. (He previously won six in 2016.)

Dane van Niekerk and Kagiso Rabada winners of awards with Chris Nenzani and minister of sports Thoko Xasa during the Cricket South Africa Awards Banquet 2018 at Sandton Convention Centre on June 02, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

No other cricketer has ever won more than five awards! Rabada, who turned 23 a week ago, has won 13 Awards in two years… not to mention that he’s the Number 1 Test Bowler in the world, and was named in the 2017 World Test XI.

Rabada and Dane van Niekerk were recognised in the company of the country’s cricketing elite when they were both named South African Cricketer of the Year in their respective categories – Men’s and Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

Both were previously named SA’s Men’s/Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2016.

In addition to the main award, Rabada:

  • was named Test Cricketer of the Year, and
  • was named ODI Cricketer of the Year.
  • was honoured by his peers by being named SA Players’ Player of the Year, and
  • was honoured by fans by being named SA Fans Player of the Year.
  • won the award for the RAM Delivery of the Year, for when he dismissed David Warner in the third Test match between the Proteas and Australia at PPC Newlands in March this year.

It has been a remarkable year for Rabada who rose to the No. 1 ranking in the world in Test match cricket, cracking the 900-point barrier and is currently the leading wicket-taker in the 2018 calendar year with 38 dismissals at an average of 19.65.

He is also ranked No. 7 in ODI cricket and was named in the ICC Test XI for the 2017 calendar year.

The only awards he did not win, for which he was eligible, were the T20 International Player of the Year award that went to AB de Villiers and the Always Original Award that went to David Miller for his world record T20 International century against Bangladesh.

The International Newcomer of the Year award went to Aiden Markram who scored exactly 1 000 runs in his debut Test season at an average of 55.55 and also stood in as ODI captain at the tender age of 23.

Van Niekerk also had a stellar year that saw her ranked as the No. 2 all-rounder in women’s international cricket and the No. 9 ranked bowler. She achieved an historic milestone at the ICC Women’s World Cup when she returned the stunning figures of 4/0 against the West Indies and led the Momentum Proteas to their best ever performance at this tournament when they lost by the narrowest of margins in the semi-finals to eventual champions England.

The other top awards in the women’s category went to Laura Wolvaardt who did the double of SA Women’s Players Player of the Year and Momentum Women’s ODI Player of the Year while Chloe Tryon was named Momentum Women’s T20 International Player of the Year.

“Simply outstanding! What a year both Kagiso and Dane have had,” commented CSA Acting Chief Executive, Thabang Moroe. “They have both shown the maturity of seasoned campaigners with performances that have really counted when needed most, often blowing away the opposition in the process.

“It is encouraging that for the second time in a row our premier awards have gone to our young stars who are shining with distinction alongside our world-class senior players (Rabada is 23 and Van Niekerk 25).

“Both our Standard Bank Proteas and Momentum Women’s Proteas continue to challenge to be among the best in the world and I find it particularly encouraging that all our national teams have a truly non-racial make-up. I must particularly highlight the Proteas first ever home Test Series win over Australia and the way our women gripped the imagination of the country as they came so close to their first ever ICC Final.

A special tribute was paid to AB de Villiers who has announced his retirement from international cricket after more than a decade of service to the Standard Bank Proteas. “It was wonderful that AB could finish his international career with that historic home series win over Australia,” commented Moroe.

De Villiers is one of the other nine men’s players to have ever received CSA’s most prestigious men’s awards – SA Men’s Cricketer of the Year award. He won it in 2014 and 2015. The others are Jacques Kallis (2004 and 2011), Makhaya Ntini (2005 and 2006), Hashim Amla (2010 and 2013), Shaun Pollock (2007), Dale Steyn (2008), Graeme Smith (2009), Vernon Philander (2012) and Quinton de Kock (2017).