BETWAY SA20 STARS WIN BIG AT CSA AWARDS

Former Durban’s Super Giants captain Keshav Maharaj has been honoured with the premier SA Cricket Men’s Player of the Year prize at the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Awards evening in Johannesburg.

Maharaj received the award for a second time in his career, after first winning it in 2022, in recognition of his continued excellence across all formats and leadership within the national setup.

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The left-arm spinner bagged 40 Test wickets at an average of 20.57, but also showed off his pedigree as a world-class T20I spinner by playing significant role in the Proteas Men’s team reaching a first-ever T20 World Cup final in Barbados last year where he claimed 11 wickets at an average of 14.90.

Maharaj will certainly be among the most sought-after players at the upcoming Betway SA20 auction on September 9 after not being retained by Durban’s Super Giants for Season 4.

Fast bowler Anrich Nortje also sent a timely reminder of his capabilities ahead of the much-anticipated auction by taking home the Men’s T20 International Player of the Year award.

Nortje was excellent during the T20 World Cup, snaring 15 wickets at an average of 13.40.

MI Cape Town’s Season 4 Wildcard Kagiso Rabada was honoured by his peers as the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year.

Fellow Durban’s Super Giants Wildcard Heinrich Klaasen’s white-ball credentials was recognised with the Men's ODI Player of the Year in his last season of international cricket.

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Betway SA20’s second-highest all-time wicket-taker Ottneil Baartman walked away with the Men’s International Newcomer of the Year award for his excellent performances in his maiden season.

Baartman, a fully-fledged product of Betway SA20, will equally be a prized asset at the auction after being released by two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

Former Joburg Super Kings fast bowler Nandre Burger’s dismissal of Mikyle Louis during the second Test against the West Indies in Guyana was voted Best Delivery.

The Betway SA20 Rising Stars were big winners on the night with Kwena Maphaka adjudged the T20 Challenge Player of the Season, Lhuan-dre Pretorius the 4-Day Player of the Season and Dewald Brevis, who was the third-highest first-class run-scorer and second-highest scorer in the One Day Cup, the Domestic Players' Player of the Year.

Betway SA20 rising stars Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis were among the big winners at CSA's annual awards.

Maphaka and Pretorius played together for the Paarl Royals in Season 3, but could possibly go head-to-head next season after the Boland Park-based franchise only retained Pretorius. The dynamic left-handed opener topped the run-scoring charts in Season 3.

There will certainly be a clamour for both Maphaka’s searing left-arm pace and Brevis’s 360-degree T20 skills, after both were released by the Royals and MI Cape Town respectively.

Former DSG all-rounder Jon-Jon Smuts also won the One-Day Cup Player of the Season.

It was not just the players that were honoured. 

Sunrisers Eastern Cape assistant coach Russell Domingo was named Division 1 Coach of the Year for the second successive season, along Betway SA20 umpires Allahudien Palekar (CSA Umpire of the Year) and Abdoellah Steenkamp (CSA Umpires’ Umpire of the Year).