ZA Cricket

In a season defined by international breakthroughs and personal milestones, South Africa’s cricketing excellence was honoured at the 2024–25 CSA Awards, with left-arm spinners Keshav Maharaj and Nonkululeko Mlaba crowned as the country’s top male and female players.

The judging period covered a fruitful stretch that included the 2024 T20 World Cups, the 2024–25 home summer, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. While the Proteas’ historic World Test Championship (WTC) Final win was not included, performances in the lead-up to it were. That means fans will have to wait until next year’s awards to see recognition for Aiden Markram’s WTC Final century and Kagiso Rabada’s match-winning nine-wicket haul at Lord’s.

Maharaj and Mlaba Shine Across Formats

Keshav Maharaj’s rich form in the longer format earned him the men’s player of the year honour. He claimed 40 wickets in just seven Tests, with memorable spells in Chattogram, Gqeberha, and against the West Indies. He was also a key weapon in the T20 format, finishing third on South Africa’s wicket charts during the T20 World Cup.

Nonkululeko Mlaba was similarly influential, finishing second overall in the wicket-taking charts at the Women’s T20 World Cup and etching her name into the record books with a 10-wicket match haul against England. She is now South Africa’s second-highest wicket-taker in women’s Test history. Mlaba’s dominance earned her both the women’s player of the year and the women’s players’ player of the year accolades.

Bavuma, Klaasen and Nortje Recognised

Temba Bavuma was named men’s Test player of the year for his hundreds against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, both pivotal in securing South Africa’s place in the WTC Final.

Heinrich Klaasen, now retired, capped off his 50-over career with the men’s ODI player of the year award, after topping the run charts in a limited calendar. Anrich Nortje claimed the men’s T20 player of the year after a fiery World Cup campaign, while newcomer Ottneil Baartman’s miserly spells earned him the title of best emerging male player.

Dercksen and Hlubi Make Waves

Annerie Dercksen, named the ICC’s Emerging Player of 2024, was honoured as the women’s ODI player of the year. She topped the run tally in a tri-series against India and Sri Lanka, including a maiden ODI century. Seamer Ayanda Hlubi was recognised as the women’s newcomer of the year.

Domestic Excellence

Lhuan-dre Pretorius took home the men’s first-class player award thanks to a string of match-saving innings, notably three hundreds in five games. He edged out top run-scorer Jordan Hermann. Jon-Jon Smuts’ strong List A campaign saw him win the men’s one-day award, while CSA T20 Challenge co-leading wicket-taker Kwena Maphaka was named domestic T20 player of the year.

Dewald Brevis, a consistent presence across formats, was voted domestic players’ player of the year for his first-class and one-day contributions.

Coaches Celebrated

In the coaching categories, Lions mentor Russell Domingo took home the Division 1 Coach of the Year award after clinching both the four-day and T20 competitions. At the second-tier level, Ahmed Amla’s successful push for Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland’s promotion earned him the Division 2 honour.


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CSA Awards 2024–25: Key Winners

Category Winner

Men’s Player of the Year Keshav Maharaj
Women’s Player of the Year Nonkululeko Mlaba
Men’s Test Player Temba Bavuma
Men’s ODI Player Heinrich Klaasen
Men’s T20I Player Anrich Nortje
Men’s Newcomer Ottneil Baartman
Women’s ODI Player Annerie Dercksen
Women’s Newcomer Ayanda Hlubi
Domestic First-Class Player Lhuan-dre Pretorius
Domestic One-Day Player Jon-Jon Smuts
Domestic T20 Player Kwena Maphaka
Domestic Players’ Player Dewald Brevis
Women’s Players’ Player Nonkululeko Mlaba
Division 1 Coach of the Year Russell Domingo
Division 2 Coach of the Year Ahmed Amla
Men’s Players’ Player Kagiso Rabada