Temba Bavuma looking forward to Saturday’s Cricket SA awards ceremony

Temba Bavuma is looking forward to Saturday’s Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards ceremony where he stands a chance to win the Standard Bank Twenty20 International Cricketer of the Year gong.

The 30-year-old has been nominated in the category alongside Proteas limited-overs captain Quinton de Kock and fast bowler Lungi Ngidi.

Pigeonholed as a red-ball specialist for a long time‚ Bavuma has managed to break free of those shackles and captured the imagination with his white-ball exploits over the past season.

“I’m really pleased and excited about it all‚” said Bavuma of his nomination.

“I’m not someone that people associate T20 cricket with. So to be nominated in this category after the few performances I had is really satisfying.”

Bavuma made his Twenty20 International debut as recent as September 2019 against India in Mohali and covered himself in glory with his run-a-ball 49.

He followed that up with 27 not out in the next match in Bengaluru and posted impressive scores of 43‚ 31 and another 49 in his next three innings.

He smashed 199 runs in five Twenty20I innings with a leading average of 49.75.

“It was a good season returning in the white-ball format.

"I made my debut in that series in India and performed okay too‚ so that was a good memory‚” said Bavuma as he helped the Proteas to a drawn series.

“We were trying to beat one of the strongest teams in that format on their own soil‚ off course with our own ambitions as well of trying to become the number one team as well.

“So that for me was very good‚ drawing that series 1-1.”

It will be a first ever virtual awards ceremony as CSA aligns with the rules and regulations of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown but Bavuma said that will not take away the merits of the awards.

“The excitement of not being there will definitely be missed. It’s usually a highlight of the CSA calendar.

“But it won’t take away the merit of the awards and all those recognised certainly do deserve their recognition. I’m looking forward to seeing what CSA has in store for us.”

De Kock leads the nominations list with six across various categories including the big one the men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Players Player of the Year alongside Ngidi and Anrich Nortje.

The Cricket SA Annual Awards nominations are:

Semi-Professional Awards

PITCHVISION PROVINCIAL COACH OF THE YEAR

Richard das Neves (Easterns)

JP Triegaardt (Northern Cape)

Geoffrey Toyana (Northerns)

CSA PROVINCIAL ONE-DAY CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Ruan de Swardt (Northerns)

Jacques Snyman (Northern Cape)

Basheer Walters (EP)

Codi Yusuf (Gauteng)

CSA PROVINCIAL THREE-DAY CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Andrea Agathangelou (Easterns)

Patrick Botha (Free State)

Beyers Swanepoel (Northern Cape)

Domestic Professional Awards

DOMESTIC NEWCOMER OF THE SEASON

Wandile Makwetu (VKB Knights)

Wesley Marshall (Momentum Multiply Titans)

Thando Ntini (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras)

PITCHVISION COACH OF THE SEASON

Mark Boucher (Proteas)

Wandile Gwavu (Imperial Lions)

Robin Peterson (Warriors)

FOUR-DAY FRANCHISE SERIES CRICKETER OF THE SEASON

George Linde (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras)

Prenelan Subrayen (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)

Reynard van Tonder (VKB Knights)

MOMENTUM ONE-DAY CUP CRICKETER OF THE SEASON

Mbulelo Budaza (VKB Knights)

Zubayr Hamza (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras)

Grant Roelofsen (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)

Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbest Dolphins)

International Professional Awards

STANDARD BANK T20 INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Temba Bavuma

Quinton de Kock

Lungi Ngidi

STANDARD BANK ODI CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Quinton de Kock

Heinrich Klaasen

Lungi Ngidi

STANDARD BANK TEST CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Quinton de Kock

Anrich Nortje

Kagiso Rabada

SA MEN’S PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Quinton de Kock

David Miller

RAM DELIVERY OF THE YEAR

Marizanne Kapp

Anrich Nortje

Vernon Philander

KFC STREETWISE AWARD

Mignon du Preez

Lungi Ngidi

Laura Wolvaardt

MOMENTUM PROTEAS T20 INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Nadine de Klerk

Shabnim Ismail

Lizelle Lee

MOMENTUM PROTEAS ODI CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Marizanne Kapp

Ayabonga Khaka

Laura Wolvaardt

MOMENTUM PROTEAS PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Shabnim Ismail

Luara Wolvaardt

Marizanne Kapp

SA FANS CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Sune Luus

Laura Wolvaardt

Ayabonga Khaka

Mignon du Preez

Shabnim Ismail

Marizanne Kapp

Tabraiz Shamsi

David Miller

Lungi Ngidi

Kagiso Rabada

Quinton de Kock

Anrich Nortje

MOMENTUM PROTEAS CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Shabnim Ismail

Lizelle Lee

Laura Wolvaardt

SA MEN’S CRICKETER OF THE YEAR

Quinton de Kock

Lungi Ngidi

Anrich Nortje