Graeme Smith’s summer of success has come to a fitting conclusion in the middle of winter.
South Africa’s cricket captain was last night named cricketer of the year in Cricket South Africa’s annual awards.
Smith, who captained the Proteas to their first Test series win against Australia Down Under, was also named Test player of the year.
Other major winners were AB de Villiers (ODI player) and JP Duminy (Twenty20 player and players’ player).
The awards came after a year of achievements in all forms of the game, and in some categories the rivalry was intense, none more so than for newcomer of the year, where the leading contenders were Roelof van der Merwe, Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Left-arm spinner Van der Merwe emerged a narrow winner.
There were five finalists for the Cricketer of the Year compared with the usual three.
The awards covered the period from the tour of England last year up to the end of the home series against Australia and did not include the recent World Twenty20.
The chief executive of CSA, Gerald Majola, said the awards marked a “golden era” for South African cricket.
“It is most fitting that the SA cricketer of the year award goes to Graeme Smith, who led the Proteas to their best season ever,” he said.
Smith had an outstanding year both as leader and player. He led the Proteas’ Test squad to away Test victories over both England and Australia — something that had never been achieved before — in the space of six months.
Injury ruled him out of the ODI series in Australia, which South Africa also won.
He was the leading run-scorer in Test cricket in 2008, becoming the first South African to score more than 1600 runs in a 12-month period. He also played one of the memorable Test innings of all time, when his unbeaten 154 in the fourth innings at Edgbaston clinched the series against England.
It was one of the top 10 scores of all time in a successful run chase. His century at Perth also laid the foundation for the Proteas’ epic 414-run chase in the first Test in Australia.
It is significant that these two victories are two of South Africa’s four highest successful run chases of all time, the 414 being only three runs shy of the world record.
De Villiers averaged 63 in Australia (strike rate 87) and 60 at home (strike rate 95). He also confirmed his reputation as the best fielder in world cricket.
Duminy played two innings of genius in the T20 matches in Australia.
He finished the summer with a career average of 31 and a strike rate of 133, which was only beaten by Albie Morkel (139) and Van der Merwe (160).
South Africa’s cricket captain was last night named cricketer of the year in Cricket South Africa’s annual awards.
Smith, who captained the Proteas to their first Test series win against Australia Down Under, was also named Test player of the year.
Other major winners were AB de Villiers (ODI player) and JP Duminy (Twenty20 player and players’ player).
The awards came after a year of achievements in all forms of the game, and in some categories the rivalry was intense, none more so than for newcomer of the year, where the leading contenders were Roelof van der Merwe, Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Left-arm spinner Van der Merwe emerged a narrow winner.
There were five finalists for the Cricketer of the Year compared with the usual three.
The awards covered the period from the tour of England last year up to the end of the home series against Australia and did not include the recent World Twenty20.
The chief executive of CSA, Gerald Majola, said the awards marked a “golden era” for South African cricket.
“It is most fitting that the SA cricketer of the year award goes to Graeme Smith, who led the Proteas to their best season ever,” he said.
Smith had an outstanding year both as leader and player. He led the Proteas’ Test squad to away Test victories over both England and Australia — something that had never been achieved before — in the space of six months.
Injury ruled him out of the ODI series in Australia, which South Africa also won.
He was the leading run-scorer in Test cricket in 2008, becoming the first South African to score more than 1600 runs in a 12-month period. He also played one of the memorable Test innings of all time, when his unbeaten 154 in the fourth innings at Edgbaston clinched the series against England.
It was one of the top 10 scores of all time in a successful run chase. His century at Perth also laid the foundation for the Proteas’ epic 414-run chase in the first Test in Australia.
It is significant that these two victories are two of South Africa’s four highest successful run chases of all time, the 414 being only three runs shy of the world record.
De Villiers averaged 63 in Australia (strike rate 87) and 60 at home (strike rate 95). He also confirmed his reputation as the best fielder in world cricket.
Duminy played two innings of genius in the T20 matches in Australia.
He finished the summer with a career average of 31 and a strike rate of 133, which was only beaten by Albie Morkel (139) and Van der Merwe (160).
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