Keshav Maharaj could join special club of Protea greats

Maharaj has been nominated for the prestigious accolade alongside Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, and Corbin Bosch, and could join only Makhaya Ntini and AB de Villiers as the two Proteas men’s players to have won it in consecutive years. 

The only other individual to do that is Proteas Women stalwart Marizanne Kapp, and speaking exclusively to SABC Sport, Maharaj says it’s a privilege for him to even be mentioned in the same sentence as some of the greats.

"In terms of winning the player of the year award for two consecutive years and being in the company of Makhaya Ntini and AB de Villiers is a huge privilege if it does come through. If not, I'm grateful to be acknowledged in the same light with two greats of the game."

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Maharaj has been South Africa’s premier spin bowler in one of their most successful periods ever, during which they captured the World Test Championship. He has also been nominated for the ODI Player of the Year alongside Quinton de Kock, Nandre Burger, and Matthew Breetzke. 

Apart from being one of the senior players in the Proteas set-up, the 36-year-old has also had opportunities to take the lead as captain on a few occasions. He mentioned some of his highlights as the skipper.

"I've always enjoyed leadership and to lead my country has always been a dream of mine. I'm super grateful for the opportunities and I would like to think I gave it my best. One of the highlights of my career was taking an extremely young side to New Zealand and winning there."