Proteas captain Temba Bavuma set to be crowned emperor of South African cricket
Image: BackpagePix
TEMBA Bavuma is set to complete a year of huge achievement when the Cricket SA Awards will be held at Emperors Palace on Thursday evening.
Bavuma had an outstanding year both as leader and player. Although the Proteas' epic World Test Championship final victory over Australia at Lord's last month does not fall within the judging period - 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025 - Bavuma was still a standout performer and is the favourite to be crowned SA Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year and Fan's Player of the Year.
He was splendid during the Proteas' march to the WTC Final with 609 runs at an average of 60.90, which included two centuries against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Bavuma also boasts a 100% captaincy record with the Proteas having won series against West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan under his leadership.
It will be the first time that Bavuma could be honoured with the highest prize in South African cricket, following in the footsteps of legends such as Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Makhaya Ntini and Kagiso Rabada.
🏆 Proteas Captain Temba Bavuma and his team brought the mace home in style!
Explosive vibes, heartfelt pride, and a community united in celebration. 🇿🇦🔥
Langa came alive as the ICC World Test Champions shared their triumph with the people. 💚 #WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/Lhq9b2pYK4 — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 30, 2025
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
The latter has been nominated again for both the SA Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year award along with Bavuma.
Rabada has been equally sensational with the ball. The big fast bowler snaring 36 wickets at 29.78 and in the process became the fifth South African bowler to join the 300-wicket club in Tests.
His strike rate of 39.2, is the best among all the world's bowlers who have achieved this milestone.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has also been nominated in both categories along with batter Ryan Rickleton.
Maharaj was even more prolific than Rabada, claiming 40 Test wickets at 20.57, while Rickelton enjoyed a stellar breakout season.
After being promoted to open the innings, the left-hander enjoyed a spectacular home summer with maiden Test century against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha before striking a 'big-daddy hundred' with a career-best 259 in the New Year Test against Pakistan at Newlands.
Proteas wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne, who would go on to hit the winning runs in the WTC Final at Lord's, has also been nominated in the Test Cricketer of the Year category.
Throwing it back to the glitz, the glam, and the greatness! ✨🏏
The Proteas showed up and showed off at last year's Cricket South Africa Awards 🔥
Now we're just 1 week away from doing it all again. Celebrating the icons, the rising stars, and unforgettable moments of the… pic.twitter.com/TJDPvKfYLK — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 24, 2025
Verreynne struck the most Test centuries of any Proteas batter over the adjudicating period, with tons against Bangladesh (114), Sri Lanka (105*) and Pakistan (100) for a sum total of 460 runs at an average of 46.
Last season's SA Cricketer of the Year Marco Jansen has also been nominated in the premier category again.
The awards will all be hotly contested after a year of stunning achievement for the Proteas Men's Test side.
"The CSA Awards are a celebration of excellence, perseverance and the undeniable spirit of South African cricket,' said CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki.
'This past season, we witnessed history being made and barriers being broken, from our senior national teams reaching unprecedented global finals to our youth and domestic teams continuing to set the bar higher.
'We are proud to honour those who have inspired a nation and left an indelible mark on the game, and we look forward to celebrating these remarkable contributions on one of our sport's most prestigious nights."
CSA Test Player of the Year Nominees
Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne
SA Cricket Player of the Year Nominees
Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Ryan Rickelton, Kagiso Rabada
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Keshav Maharaj focused on ODI & Test cricket as retirement is not far
Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj might only be playing two formats now, ODI and Test cricket; however, he still has ambitions to play until he turns 40. Following the victory in the World Test Championship final at Lord's, Maharaj toured Zimbabwe for two Tests and did not take part in the T20 Tri-Nations series, not only because of his injury but also because he has moved on from the shortest format of the game. As a result, George Linde, Senuran Muthusamy and Nqaba Peter are the leading pack of spinners in the Proteas T20I squad. After winning the prestigious Cricket South Africa Player of the Year Award on Thursday evening, the 35-year-old told the media that he still has ambitions to play until 40, especially with the ODI World Cup here at home in two years. "Look, I'm only playing two formats now. I always said I'd like to get to 40 in international cricket. But it just depends on how the body goes and how I wake up the next day. If I ever lose the passion to bowl, I have to walk away and be honoured by the game," said Maharaj. "But from a team perspective, obviously having a taste of success, hopefully it unlocks many doors. But I think this is a wonderful opportunity for the team to sort of look back on the things that we did well. But also try and find ways in which we can evolve. "Because obviously people know the brand and style we're going to play and want to catch us. So, hopefully we can be the leaders in the pack and really set the foundation when we do start the season for the next cycle."
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Aiden Markram encourages fearless play from Proteas youngsters ahead of Australia tour
Proteas captain Aiden Markram fields ball during a T20 match. Proteas captain Aiden Markram will lead the team against India in a four-match T20 International series. All the Proteas' matches this season will be broadcast on SABC. Picture: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images via AFP Image: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images via AFP Proteas T20I captain Aiden Markram encourages youngsters Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka, and Dewald Brevis to continue with their fearless approach ahead of the white-ball tour to Australia. Markram is set to lead the squad in three T20Is in Australia, which includes three exciting youngsters selected for the first time in a Proteas full-strength squad. This follows the youngsters' excellent performances in Zimbabwe last month, the 2024/25 domestic season, the SA20, and the Indian Premier League. For their impressive performances last season, the trio was not only rewarded with national call-ups for the tour to Australia but also earned coveted Cricket South Africa awards at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Thursday evening. 🇿🇦✈️ The Proteas Men are headed Down Under! A thrilling white-ball tour awaits as they take on Australia in a T20I and ODI series as part of vital preparation for the upcoming World Cup in 2026. 🏆🏏 📺 Don't miss a moment of the action with all matches live on SuperSport 🔥.… — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 1, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Brevis walked away with the Domestic Players' Player of the Year and the SA20 Rising Star of the Year awards, while Pretorius earned the Four-Day Series Player of the Year and the SA20 Batter of the Year awards. Meanwhile, Maphaka was crowned T20 Challenge Player of the Year for his heroics in leading the Lions to victory in the competition last season. Markram, understanding the importance of giving the trio the space and freedom to play their own way, told the media on Friday that he wants to see them continue playing fearless cricket. The 30-year-old himself was once a youngster in a changeroom with the likes of AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, and Faf du Plessis, making him the right man to guide the youngsters through what is usually a tough country to tour. 'For your young guys, the last thing you want to do is try to clip their wings. You want to let them fly and do their thing,' said Markram. 'I think we've seen it on various stages around the world now — in SA20 and elsewhere — that they are proper X-Factor players who can transition to international cricket quite easily, and they've proven it now.
IOL News
11 hours ago
- IOL News
Temba Bavuma on ICC mace tour of Langa: ‘It was emotional'
Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma holds aloft the ICC mace on the world champions' open-top bus parade through the streets of Langa last week. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media It's coming up two months since the Proteas were crowned World Test Championship (WTC) winners, but it was possibly thousands of kilometres away from the home of cricket where the true impact of South Africa's and Temba Bavuma's victory was most apparent. Last week, Bavuma and his Proteas teammates took the ICC mace to his home town of Langa in Cape Town. Hordes of fans, young and old, greeted their heroes to celebrate their landmark victory. Speaking at the Cricket SA awards on Thursday at Emperor's Palace in Johannesburg where Bavuma was adjudged Test Player of the Year, the skipper spoke about bringing that trophy 'back home'.
