Cricket
Smith takes coveted award
2009-06-30 22:35
Email | Print
Graeme Smith and Dane Vilas (Gallo)
Eduan Roos Johannesburg – Graeme Smith was rewarded for his leading role in one of the most successful years in South African cricket history when he was selected as the country's cricket Player of the Year on Tuesday evening.
The Proteas captain received his award at a glitzy event in Sandton where he was also named the Test Player of the Year after his team achieved an historic series wins against England and Australia.
The Proteas in July 2008 won their first Test series in 43 years in England after Smith almost single-handedly helped South Africa win the second Test at Edgbaston and the series with an unbeaten innings of 154.
His century at the end of last year in the first Test against Australia in Perth also laid the foundation for the visitors' successful 414 run chase, one of the highest scores in the history of the game.
Under Smit's leadership, the Proteas also knocked the Aussies off the throne as the top ODI team in the world.
In 2008, the 28-year-old opening batsman was also the leading run maker in the world and the first South African to score more than 1 600 Test runs in a calendar year.
AB de Villiers was named both the ODI Player of the Year and the Fans' Cricketer of the Year.
JP Duminy was named the Twenty20 player and the Players' Player of the Year.
Roelof van der Merwe beat Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the Newcomer of the Year category. He also took the Best Player in this year's MTN one-day series.
Both Van der Merwe and Parnell are the favourites for the International Cricket Board's Newcomer of the Year award.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) executive head, Gerald Majola, said the awards were the crowning glory of a "golden year for the Proteas".
"It is quite fitting that Graeme is honoured in this way, seeing how he led the Proteas to their best season yet," said Majola.
"The excellent performance by several youngsters over the past year will also guarantee the Proteas' successful future."
Charl Langeveldt and Imraan Khan were respectively announced as the Pro20 and SuperSport Player of the Year. Titans' Richard Pybus (Coach of the Year) and Marais Erasmus (Referee of the Year) were also honoured.
Claude Henderson was named by the South African Players Association as the Most Valuable Player and the Local Players' Player of the Year while the Lions' Dane Vilas was named the Domestic Newcomer of the Year.
2009 SA CRICKET AWARDS WINNERSCoach of the Year: Richard Pybus
Groundsman of the Year: Louis Kruger
Scorers' Association of the Year: Gauteng
Umpire of the Year: Marais Erasmus
DOMESTIC:MTN Domestic Championship Cricketer of the Year: Roelof van der Merwe
Standard Bank Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: Charl Langeveldt
SuperSport Series Cricketer of the Year: Imraan Khan
Domestic Newcomer of the Year: Dane Vilas
SACA Most Valuable Player: Claude Henderson
Domestic Players' Player of the Year: Claude Henderson
SA TEAM:SA Newcomer of the Year: Roelof van der Merwe
One-Day International Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers
International Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: JP Duminy
Test Cricketer of the Year: Graeme Smith
Players' Player of the Year: JP Duminy
SA Players' Player of the Year: JP Duminy
Fans' Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers
SA Cricketer of the Year: Graeme Smith