New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee on Wednesday claimed the top honours in the annual Players’ Association awards for his performance in the home series against India, while Sophie Devine bagged the women’s top award in Wellington.
“Tim Southee headed off several players in a very close voting result before ultimately securing his second The Players’ Cap with a compelling series against India at home,” the New Zealand Players’ Association said in a statement.
Southee, who was player of Test series with 14 wickets in the two-match rubber earlier this year, joins Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor as multiple winners of the award. Devine’s award is her third consecutive.
Daniel Vettori presented the cap to Southee and said that “Tim has had a remarkable year and is a truly deserving recipient of this award”. NZCPA Board member former White Fern Rebecca Rolls said “it is a real honour to be able to present this award to such a deserving recipient in Sophie.”
The third CPA Players’ Award bestowed on Devine by her teammates places her alongside Williamson’s three-peat (2015-2017) and is a “fitting reflection of the contribution she has made to the White Ferns team.
At the recently-concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020, she scored her sixth consecutive 50+ score even though New Zealand failed to go past the group stages.
The awards were presented online as all events have been cancelled or postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With PTI inputs