Warwickshire and England all-rounder Chris Woakes is named in the shortlist of four for Reg Hayter Cup for NatWest PCA Men’s Player of the Year.
Woakes sits alongside Kent and England batsman Zak Crawley, Essex off-spinner Simon Harmer and Somerset speedster Craig Overton on the shortlist for the headline men’s award. The winner will follow in the footsteps of 2019 winner Ben Stokes in receiving the Reg Hayter Cup on Saturday.
Crawley is also shortlisted for the Vitality PCA Young Player of the Year alongside Surrey’s Will Jacks, who has starred in this year’s Vitality Blast, and Somerset’s Tom Lammonby, who scored three hundreds in his final three Bob Willis Trophy fixtures, including 116 in the Lord’s final.
As a result of this year’s shortened schedule, the NatWest PCA Women’s Player of the Year will take into account performances dating back to October 2019, rather than focusing solely on the summer.
Ahead of the final Vitality IT20 where England look to complete a 5-0 series whitewash over the West Indies, rookie leg-spinner Sarah Glenn, captain Heather Knight and all-rounder Nat Sciver have been shortlisted to succeed Sophie Ecclestone, who has picked up the prestigious prize for the last two years in a row.
The NatWest Cricket Awards will be the first event of its kind when it takes place on Saturday during the Vitality Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston. It will incorporate both the 51st NatWest PCA Awards and the annual NatWest Outstanding Service to Cricket Awards (OSCAs) to produce a ceremony celebrating all aspects of cricket in England and Wales in this most unique of summers.
The NatWest OSCAs highlight outstanding service to grassroots cricket and the local community while also showcasing the integral role volunteers have played during a challenging summer for the game. The three awards to be presented are the Connecting Communities Award, Proactive Leadership Award and the #Raisethebat Award. NatWest has been a proud sponsor of cricket in England and Wales for 39 years, and the NatWest CricketForce programme is the UK’s largest annual sport volunteering programme which helps thousands of clubs upgrade their facilities each year.
NatWest PCA Men’s Player of the Year – Nominees
Zak Crawley
Crawley has been in sensational form for club and country this summer, making big runs in both the longest and shortest formats over the past three months.
The undoubted highlight of Crawley’s season was his stunning 267 during the third Test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl, with the batsman replicating his international form on the domestic stage when making a blistering maiden T20 hundred against Hampshire on 14 September.
Simon Harmer
The 2019 Overall MVP has once again been inspirational for Essex in 2020, excelling in the longest format to take his team all the way to Bob Willis Trophy glory.
The competition’s leading wicket-taker finished with 38 scalps to his name at an average of 15.86, and is the favourite to make it two Overall MVP wins from two following the conclusion of Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday. This is the second year in succession that Harmer has been shortlisted for the main award.
Craig Overton
PCA Player of the Month for August, Overton has been striking fear into the hearts of domestic batting line-ups all summer, his fiery brand of fast bowling earning him 36 wickets in all formats this campaign.
The Bob Willis Trophy MVP’s individual highlight came during his side’s group stage fixture against neighbours Gloucestershire, when he claimed match figures of 9-52 and struck 32 with the bat to help his side to a 314-run win.
Chris Woakes
The work of England’s unsung hero often goes under the radar, but Woakes has stepped into the limelight this summer, particularly in the Test arena where he has inspired the Three Lions to series victories against both the West Indies and Pakistan.
‘The Wizard’ contributed with both bat and ball this summer, taking 21 wickets and scoring 233 runs at 38.9 an average of across all formats, his 84 not out sealing a memorable first Test victory over Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford. For the second year in succession, Woakes was statistically England’s best performer across all formats according to the PCA MVP algorithm.
