Dane Paterson: The Humble Fast Bowler

At CSA's annual function, 36 awards were handed out in the professional categories, and 25 in the "pathways" sections. Among the winners, one name stood out: Dane Paterson, the award-winning fast bowler.

Paterson has earned only seven Test caps and a dozen in white-ball formats, but has taken 625 first-class wickets at 24.13. He was awarded the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award, which recognizes people whose lives have taken a positive turn because of their involvement in the game.

Paterson's performances, including 5/71 against Sri Lanka and 5/61 against Pakistan, contributed significantly to South Africa reaching the WTC final against Australia. Despite not being named in the XI for the final, his contributions were crucial to South Africa's victory.

Paterson is a humble and unassuming bowler, built to a human scale, who comes across as pleasant and down-to-earth. He is a rare breed of cricketer, and his award was well-deserved.

Selected CSA Professional Award Winners:

• Men's T20I player of the year: Anrich Nortje
• Men's ODI player of the year: Heinrich Klaasen
• Men's Test player of the year: Temba Bavuma
• Men's players' player of the year: Kagiso Rabada
• Men's player of the year: Keshav Maharaj
• Women's T20I player of the year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
• Women's ODI player of the year: Annerie Dercksen
• Women's players' player of the year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
• Women's player of the year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
• Fans' player of the year: Temba Bavuma
• Makhaya Ntini power of cricket award: Dane Paterson