adminTaylor, who has been one of the most outstanding on both the domestic and international fronts, scooped the two biggest awards on the night when he was crowned the CBZ Cricketer of the Year and the Croco Motors Batsman of the Year.
The brilliant batsman received his awards at a glittering function that was also used by Zimbabwe Cricket to showcase their sponsorship power as a battery of sponsors, all connected to the domestic game, weighed in to bankroll different awards. CBZ Bank, the game’s biggest sponsors in this country, were the flagship sponsors of the awards ceremony while Croco Motors, South African Airways, Interfin Bank, Coca-Cola, Castle Lager and Afdis were all involved.
Taylor beat MidWest Rhinos’ teammate and fellow opening batsman Vusi Sibanda to both accolades. Taylor took over the national team captaincy from Elton Chigumbura in June following a disappointing show at the 2011 ICC World Cup where Zimbabwe bowed out at the first hurdle. But he has been leading from the front since then.
He captained the side on their return to Test cricket, against Bangladesh, at the Harare Sports Club, on August 4 2011. In the first innings of the match he scored 71 and during the second innings he scored an unbeaten 105.
He then became the second Zimbabwean to score a century in his first match as captain as they sealed an impressive 130-run victory over the Tigers in a game he was aptly named man-of-the-match for his decisive hundred.
Taylor also became the first Zimbabwean batsman to hit back-to-back One-Day International centuries (128 not out and 107 not out), achieved against New Zealand, during a home tour last month.
In the final ODI, chasing a big 329 to win, Taylor set the tone of the chase with a brisk 75 off 65 balls, which enabled Malcolm Waller and Elton Chigumbura to give Zimbabwe a famous win. With 310 runs in the series and a strike rate of over 100, Taylor was adjudged the Man-of-the-Series. He scored 50 and 117 in the one-off Test match.
As a result of his performances, he has earned a contract to play Twenty20 cricket for the Wellington cricket team as an overseas player in New Zealand’s HRV Twenty20 Cup. The first runner-up, Sibanda, also had a commendable show both at club and for his country and acquitted himself well during a season when he turned into one of the team’s key players.
Matabeleland Tuskers all-rounder Keegan Meth was voted the Bowler of the Year, beating Mountaineers’ Tendai Chatara for the award. The award was sponsored by South African Airways.
Southern Rocks’ emerging left-arm pacer Brian Vitori also earned recognition when he bagged the Tour Africa Rookie of the Year award for his sensational debut against Bangladesh in August.Vitori scored a brace as he was also named the Interfin Bank Most Promising Cricketer of the Year.
Dave Houghton, one of the best cricket coaches in the country, was named the 2011 Coach of the Year in a fitting tribute to a man who has given so much for the game here.
In the women’s game, Ashley Ndiraya scooped the Coca-Cola Female Cricketer of the Year while Tuskers won the Castle Franchise Team of the Year.
Zimbabwe Cricket also used the night to remember Basil “Dolly” d’Oliviera, the legendary South African cricketer who was barred from playing for his country because of the colour of his skin, who passed away on November 19 this year.D’Oliviera, who was 80 when he died of Parkinson disease, played 44 Tests and four ODIs for England.
In 2000, he was named one of the 10 South African Cricketers of the Century despite not having played for his country of birth during his career.
Online Reporter