CSA salutes Proteas' nominees for ICC awards, Test XI

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Thursday congratulated all its Proteas' representatives who have either made the short list for the various International Cricket Council (ICC) annual awards or have been chosen for the ICC 2012 Test team select XI.

"The Proteas have produced four members of the select XI - Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn - plus 12th man AB de Villiers and this is a tribute to the sterling cricket our own Castle Lager Test XI has produced over the past year," commented CSA Acting CEO Jacques Faul.

"There are several other of our players who must have come close to being selected as well.

"This is the fifth year in a row that Dale has been selected which speaks volumes for both the excellence and the longevity of his international career. We all know the physical stress that fast bowlers subject their bodies to and it says a lot for the way that Dale has managed himself both on and off the field that he has missed so few Test matches during this period.

"The cherry on the top is for Philander and Amla to be nominated for the ICC's most prestigious award, the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy, for the ICC Cricketer of the Year. Both have also been nominated for the Test Cricketer of the Year as well, as has Richard Levi for the T20 performance of the year award and Kallis and De Villiers for the Spirit of Cricket award.

"The fact that Philander and Levi are both in their first year of international cricket is a highly encouraging sign for the future and also evidence that our development pipeline structures are working very well.

"The achievements of Philander and Amla speak for themselves," he concluded. "Vernon is the second leading wicket taker in Test cricket this year and has both the best average and the best strike rate of those who have bowled at least 100 overs.

"Hashim has a batting average this year of 76 in Test cricket and 82 in ODI cricket. More important has been the wonderful standing ovations he has received around the international grounds of England over the past few months."

The ICC will hold its award ceremony in Sri Lanka next month when they will also announce their select ODI XI of the period under review (August 4, 2011, to August 6, 2012).