New Proteas T20 cap Lungi Ngidi was rewarded for his stellar performances when he was named as the SA Student Cricketer of the Year on Saturday.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) hosted its annual Breakfast Awards, where the stars of development cricket over the past 12 months were honoured in a grand ceremony at the Inanda Club in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The awards commemorate the accomplishments of the growing talent in the country as CSA continues to drive its vision of making cricket a truly national sport of winners and accessible to all.
Ngidi excelled at all levels of cricket in the 2016/17 season, and was the Man of the Match on his Proteas T20 debut against Sri Lanka with 2/12, followed by 4/19 at the Wanderers.
Rising young star and Coca-Cola South Africa Under-19s captain Wiaan Mulder was also recognised as he won the U19 Cricketer of the Year trophy for the second year running.
The all-rounder from Gauteng had a solid year with both bat and ball for his country, scoring 442 runs in 14 innings – five of those in Youth Tests and nine in Youth ODIs.
He also claimed 23 wickets at the outstanding average of 15.91. The 19-year-old also went on to make his franchise debut for the Highveld Lions in 2016/17 and has been named in the South Africa ‘A’ four-day team to tour England in June.
Wiaan Mulder excelled with bat and ball for the Highveld Lions. Photo: Muzi Ntombela, BackpagePix
Western Province opener Pieter Malan was another who was consistent throughout the season, scoring over a thousand runs on the semi-professional scene, and he was named the Three-Day Cricketer of the Year.
But unlike last year when Mulder walked away with three of the big prizes, there were other big achievers at the ceremony such as Khaya Majola Cricket Week Player of the Tournament Ruan de Swardt, a teammate of Mulder’s in the most recent SA U19s squad and one of his closest friends.
De Swardt became one of only 13 young individuals to have represented both the SA Schools cricket and rugby teams when he turned out for Northerns this season. The all-rounder shone with both bat and ball, claiming 17 wickets and scoring 173 runs.
CSA vice-president Thabang Moroe was the keynote speaker at the awards and praised all the winners as well as those that helped them get there for their efforts over the past year.
He said: “Congratulations not only to all our award winners, but also to all those unsung heroes who work so tirelessly behind the scenes without any reward other than the knowledge that they have completed a job well done. It is indeed an occasion for good cheer and camaraderie as much as a salute to our acknowledged champions.”
The Awards Breakfast will be followed by the 2017 CSA Awards, which will be held in Johannesburg on Saturday evening.
Selected CSA Breakfast Awards winners
Girls U19 Player: Shania-Lee Swart (Mpumalanga)
Khaya Majola Week Player: Ruan de Swardt (Northerns)
U19 Cricketer of the Year: Wiaan Mulder (Gauteng)
National Club Champs Player: Heinrich Klaasen (Tuks)
Student Cricketer of the Year: Lungi Ngidi (University of Pretoria)
Semi-Professional Coach of the Year: Mark Charlton (Northerns)
Women's Provincial Cricketer: Angelique Taai (Border)
Provincial One-Day Cricketer: Grant Thomson (Northerns)
Three-Day Cricketer: Pieter Malan (Western Province)