Cricket South Africa (CSA) has congratulated Proteas trio Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers, and Imran Tahir as well as Proteas women’s duo Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp for being included by the ICC in its Teams of the Decade.
PLAYERS SELECTED BY ICC VOTING ACADEMY
The players were identified and selected by the ICC’s specialist voting academy comprising prominent cricket journalists, broadcasters and former players from around the world.
MUST READ | PROTEAS ROASTED FOR ‘BLACK POWER’ SALUTE
Former South Africa top-order batsman AB de Villiers, widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever played limited-overs cricket, was named in both the ODI and T20I Teams of the Decade.
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir, a player that played all 107 of his ODIs in the 2010s claiming an impressive 173 wickets in that period, was picked alongside De Villiers in the 50-over team.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn, who retired from red-ball cricket last season as the country’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 439 strikes, was named in the Test Team of the Decade.
Proteas women’s captain Dane van Niekerk and her all-rounder team-mate Marizanne Kapp, meanwhile, were selected in the Women’s ODI Team of the Decade.
“Having our players being selected in these teams is an incredible honour,” commented CSA Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith.
“It is also a massive feather in their caps and speaks about the immense contribution they have made to cricket not just domestically, but on a global stage.
“Their inclusions also speak of their consistency and their class as individuals. They have performed impeccably year in and year out for South Africa and we are very proud of them.
“We at CSA would therefore like to like to congratulate AB, Dale, Immi (Tahir), Dane and Marizanne.”
The ICC Awards of the Decade is a one-off edition of the annual awards programme, aimed at celebrating the stand-out performers and moments from the past 10 years of international cricket.
INDIVIDUAL WINNERS WILL BE NAMED ON MONDAY
The individual winners of the prestigious awards, including the Rachel Heyhoe Flint for Best Female Player of the Decade and Sir Garfield Sobers for Best Male Player of the Decade, will be announced simultaneously across all ICC Digital channels, including a live broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, as well as on the Star Sports Network, on Monday, December 28 at 14:30 SA time.
IN CLOSING | PICTURE: PROTAS WEAR BLACK ARMBANDS IN MEMORY OF ROBIN JACKMAN
