Scholtz, Smit win top cricket awards
Bernard Scholtz and JJ Smit were crowned Namibia’s top men’s international cricket players at Cricket Namibia’s annual awards ceremony on Saturday evening. Scholtz won the National Eagles ODI (One Day International) Player of the Year award after an outstanding season during which he distinguished himself as one of the world’s top spin bowlers. He was […] The post Scholtz, Smit win top cricket awards appeared first on The Namibian.
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Bernard Scholtz and JJ Smit were crowned Namibia’s top men’s international cricket players at Cricket Namibia’s annual awards ceremony on Saturday evening.
Scholtz won the National Eagles ODI (One Day International) Player of the Year award after an outstanding season during which he distinguished himself as one of the world’s top spin bowlers.
He was the second highest ODI wicket taker in the world with 30 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 10.33, finishing just behind Matt Henry of New Zealand who took 31 wickets in 123 matches at an average of 18.58.
Smit won the National Eagles T20 International Player of the Year award after a great season with both bat and ball. He scored a total of 250 runs at an average of 35.71 and a strike rate of 168.91, with a highest score of 111 not out off only 39 balls against Kenya.
He also took 20 wickets at an average of 11.15 and an economy rate of 6.19.
Max Heingo won the Most Improved National Eagles Player award after breaking into the senior national team at the age of 17 and making a great T20 debut against South Africa in October last year. Heingo took two wickets for 32 runs to help guide Namibia to a stunning four-wicket victory in their first ever international match against the Proteas.
Jan Frylinck won the Player’s Player of the Year award after some great batting performances. At the 2025 T20 World Cup Africa qualifiers he scored 193 runs in five matches, at an average of 48.25, including a brilliant knock of 134 off just 65 balls against Nigeria, which is Namibia’s highest ever individual T20 score.
The Spirit of Cricket Award went to the national FNB Eagles for their stunning victory against South Africa at the inauguration of the FNB Cricket Stadium on 11 October last year.
Yasmeen Khan won the Capricorn Eagles Player of the Year award after a great season during which she scored 419 runs in 18 innings at an average of 23.27 and a strike rate of 120. Her stand out performance came on 8 July when she scored 145 not out off 134 balls to guide Namibia to a 100-run victory against the South African Women’s National Academy team.
Khan also won the Capricorn Eagles Batter of the Year award, while Saima Tuhadeleni won the Capricorn Eagles Bowler of the Year award after taking 14 wickets at an economy rate of 5.76.
Eveleen Kejarukua won the Capricorn Eagles Player’s Player of the Year award, while Leigh Marie Visser won the Capricorn Eagles Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Thalia Louw, who passed away earlier this year, won the Administrator of the Year award, after serving Wanderers Cricket Club as a scorer for more than 15 years.
She already won Cricket Namibia’s administrator of the year award in 2021, while Wanderers Sports Club later also named her as an honorary member.
There were numerous other recipients of awards for services to cricket. They included Jonah Ambuga, the coordinator of the Ashburton Kwata Cricket programme; regional head coach Wilhelm Tuhafeni; the vice chairman of CCD Tigers, Louis Nortje; the cricket umpire Claus Schumacher; and Pro-Ed Cricket Academy coach Christiaan Grobler.
Foibe Neliwa received a special recognition award for long time service to Cricket Namibia, as a dedicated contributor to cricket development in northern Namibia since joining the Ashburton Kwata Cricket Programme in 2012.
Trevor Britten received a Cricket Namibia Lifetime Honouree Member Award after playing a major role in developing schols cricket for more than 30 years in areas such as Keetmanshoop, Gobabis, Walvis Bay and Windhoek.
Hestelle Spies received a long time employee service to Cricket Namibia award of more than 10 years. During this time she progressed from youth coordinator to team manager and became the driving force behind the logistics of the national men and women’s teams as well as the national u19 teams.
Numerous other awards were also received in the various leagues as well as in schools cricket.
The post Scholtz, Smit win top cricket awards appeared first on The Namibian.
