The Eastern Cape Iinyathi trio of head coach Tumelo Bodibe and players Jade de Klerk and Jerome Bossr have been nominated for the Cricket SA Awards at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park at the end of July.
Bodibe, who was head coach of the Iinyathi for the second year last season, has been nominated for division 2 coach of the year along with Mbasa Gqadushe from the Mpumalanga Rhinos and the Tuskers’ Ahmed Amla. Ahmed is the brother of former Proteas batsman Hashim Amla.
Bodibe’s nomination comes after leading the Border Cricket outfit to co-champions of the CSA division 2 One Day Cup and being fourth on the log in the Four-Day Cup. The team only narrowly missed out on making the four-day final.
Iinyathi captain Bossr will vie for the division 2 player of the year. Bossr’s efforts with the bat during the campaign were instrumental in the Buffalos’ campaign, during which they won four of their seven matches. He finished top scorer in the format with 359 runs (an average of 89), scoring two centuries and one 50 in six matches, including 114 not out against the Limpopo Impalas.
Left-arm spinner De Klerk, who has reportedly joined North West for the coming season, will be looking to win the division 2 four-day player of the season for the second year running. In his way are Michael Erlank (Tuskers) and Ernest Kemm (Northern Cape Heat). De Klerk was again the dominant bowler in the longer format for Iinyathi, claiming 44 wickets at a strike rate of 38 and an average of 15.97 in 11 matches. He also took five five-wicket hauls with an economy rate of 2.52. CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said: “We are proud to honour those who have inspired a nation and left an indelible mark on the games.” — Daily Dispatch
