PCA PRESS RELEASE
Burns, Clarke and Pope join Denly and Henry on shortlists for NatWest PCA Awards...
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The Professional Cricketers’ Association can confirm the full shortlist for the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year with Surrey pair Rory Burns and Rikki Clarke joining Kent’s Joe Denly and Matt Henry.
The highest individual accolade in English cricket with the award voted for by fellow professional cricketers, the winner of the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year will receive the Reg Hayter Cup at the ceremony which takes place at the Roundhouse, Camden next Thursday October 4.
Surrey batsman Ollie Pope has also been shortlisted for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year and will be joined by four other youngsters with nominees being announced over the course of the next two days.
Rory Burns, Rikki Clarke and Ollie Pope receive the news from their teammates on being shortlisted for the NatWest PCA Awards.
Burns has been the highest run-getter in the Specsavers County Championship with over 1,300 runs as he led his team to nine consecutive four-day victories on their way to their first title since 2002.
In his first season as captain, the opener hit four centuries and averaged 65 with the bat in a spectacular season which has seen him called-up to the England Test squad to face Sri Lanka this winter.
His teammate, 36-year-old Clarke, has been a consistently outstanding performer across all formats of the game and currently sits in second position in the Most Valuable Player Rankings.
A career that has gone full circle, Clarke helped Surrey to their first title since the side he was involved in 16 years ago.
A pillar of consistency, Clarke has averaged 31 with the bat and 22 with the ball in the County Championship, scoring over 450 runs and taking 47 first-class wickets.
Demonstrating his versatility, Clarke also took 16 wickets and averaged 47 with the bat in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
In an award voted for my current players, two further players will join the pair over the next two days as the full set of nominees are announced.
The winner of the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year will receive the Reg Hayter Cup at the ceremony which takes place at the Roundhouse, Camden next Thursday October 4.
The Division One champions also have a representative on the shortlist for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year Award with Pope selected due to his performances for club and country.
Averaging 67 in the County Championship with the bat and almost 40 in both white-ball tournaments, Pope made his England debut at Lord’s this summer and will be aiming to add to his two caps in Sri Lanka this winter.
The winner will receive the John Arlott Cup and with votes closing earlier this week for both categories, four other players will be announced over the course of the next two days.
The 49th NatWest PCA Awards will take place at the Roundhouse in Camden on October 4. The event is organised by the PCA, in association with the England and Wales Cricket Board with the Awards reflecting the domestic and international season with all proceeds from the night going to the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust.
