Trent Boult’s red-hot form during the Black Caps’ run to the T20 World Cup final has seen him named men’s T20 international player of the year in the first part of the New Zealand Cricket Awards.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine claimed the corresponding women’s award.
The awards, which are being delivered digitally over three days, also crowned Wellington’s Melie Kerr and Michael Bracewell as the Super Smash players of the year. Ross Taylor’s final wicket in his last test in Christchurch against Bangladesh was voted as the fan moment of the summer.
Community cricket was also honoured with Dunedin junior coach and administrator Gerard Finnie claiming the supreme Sir Jack Newman Award for his tireless work in the Otago region.The two new awards of best diversity and inclusion initiative, and community cricket collaboration initiative were taken out by Counties Manukau and Canterbury Cricket respectively.
Boult acknowledged the satisfaction of excelling in such a tough format for bowlers.
“It means a lot,” he said.
“T20 is a format I really enjoy and one I’m constantly trying to adapt my game to in order to become a better bowler.
“It’s something very special to win this award and I feel really grateful to receive it.”
Boult’s 13 wickets at the T20 World Cup at an average of 13.30 saw him preferred over team-mates Tim Southee, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Ish Sodhi, who also had strong campaigns.
Devine’s second T20I award in two years came after she scored 118 runs in four outings at 29.50, with an overall strike-rate of 113.46 and a top-score of 50 against England at Hove.
Devine’s Wellington Blaze team-mate and last year’s T20I winner, all-rounder Kerr, claimed back-to-back women’s Super Smash player of the year titles, after scoring 346 runs at a strike-rate of 115, while taking 17 wickets with her leg-spin in the Blaze’s unbeaten T20 season.
Firebirds’ captain Bracewell claimed the men’s domestic T20 award with the allrounder topping the run charts with 478 at an average of 79.67, including an incredible 141 not out off 65 balls against the Central Stags.
The fan moment of the summer rounded off the opening day of three with 10 of the best plays of the international and domestic home summer pitted against each other in an online competition decided by fans.
Retiring Black Caps legend Taylor and his wicket-taking finish to his test career in Christchurch proved the most popular with the public.
Day two of the awards on Wednesday sees the first-class and domestic batting and bowling cups handed out along with the men’s and women’s ODI players of the year, and the umpire of the year award.
Thursday’s final day will see the presentation of the men’s and women’s domestic players of the year, the test player of the year, the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding services to cricket, and the supreme playing award – the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal.
