Markram, Ngidi honoured

Aiden Markram and Lungi Ngidi, two of South Africa’s most exciting young talents, are among the five Cricketers of the Year named in the 2018 South African Cricket Annual published today.

Markram scored 1 000 runs at an average of 55.55 in his first season of Test cricket, while fast bowler Ngidi made a sensational start to his Test career by taking 6/39 on his debut against India at Centurion.

Unlike the official Cricket South Africa awards, a player can only be honoured once as a South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year.

The other three players named in the 2018 Annual are Titans fast bowler Junior Dala, Warriors captain and all-rounder Jon-Jon Smuts and Lions batsman Rassie van der Dussen.

The South African Cricket Annual, edited by veteran journalist Colin Bryden, is widely regarded as one of the best publications of its type, a local equivalent of England’s famed Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

The 2018 edition consists of 680 pages, packed with feature articles, reports, photographs, scores and statistics.

It covers one of the most eventful periods in South Africa’s cricketing history, with a home season which featured ten Test matches, including series wins against India and Australia.

All South Africa’s men’s and women’s international matches, up to and including the tour of Sri Lanka in August, are covered in detail. – Own Correspondent