SA cricketers in line for top honours
IT has been an outstanding 12 months for Cricket South Africa and its national representatives, both at team and individual level.
This is born out by the nominations for the various SA Sports Awards to be conferred at a prestigious ceremony to be held in Bloemfontein on Friday, November 28.
The SA Sports Awards are a joint initiative of Sport & Recreation SA, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and SABC Sport in partnership with the Free State Provincial Government.
Dale Steyn has been nominated in the sportsman of the year category while Mickey Arthur has been nominated for coach of the year.
Both the Proteas, who scored an historic Test series victory in England this year and were unbeaten in six successive series (five were won and one drawn), and the national under-19 side, who were runners up to India in the ICC under-19 World Cup, have been nominated in the team of the year category.
Gerald Majola, CEO of Cricket South Africa, said: “It is most heartening to see that cricket features so prominently in these prestigious wards.
“This is especially pleasing because one of the main pillars of CSA’s mission is the pursuance of excellence at all levels of the game.
“It is also special that the outstanding achievements of the national U19 team have been recognised in this way as this team represents the future of South African cricket and we are all very proud of them.
“CSA’s congratulations go to all the nominees, and we are grateful for the exceptionally high standards that they achieved against the very best in the world”.
“This has been a great year for South African cricket,” commented national captain Graeme Smith, “and the players fully deserve to be recognised for what they have achieved and the standards they have maintained. But we regard this as only the beginning as we endeavour to take South Africa to new heights on the world stage.”
Coach Mickey Arthur, who recently signed an extension of his contract with Cricket South Africa through to the 2011 ICC World Cup, said he felt humbled and honoured to come into contention for this award. “I am deeply honoured to be in contention for such a prestigious award,” he commented.
For star fast bowler Dale Steyn, ranked No. 2 on the LG ICC Test ratings, this nomination comes as the culmination of a dream year in which he was named Mutual & Federal SA Cricketer of the Year and LG ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
“To come into contention for this award,” he commented, “is the cherry on the top for what has been an awesome year for me.”
The South African Under-19 Cricket team has also been nominated for this year’s SA Sports Awards Team of the Year category. The South Africans led by all-rounder, Wayne Parnell brushed aside the defending champion, Pakistan in the semi-finals to reach the final where they lost to India by 12 runs in the seventh edition of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia earlier this year.
The SA Under-19 mentor, Ray Jennings, is ecstatic by the nomination of his charges. “I am over the moon by the mere fact of being nominated. I think it is a privilege for us to be in the Team of the Year category because we played as a unit. And I am happy for the boys.”