Philander is SA's Cricketer of the Year

New ball bowler Vernon Philander was named South African cricketer of the year on Wednesday following a sensational entry into Test cricket during the 2011-12 season

Philander, 26, took 51 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 14.15. He took five or more wickets in an innings on six occasions and twice claimed 10 wickets in a match.

Vernon Philander

Philander, who also won the Test cricketer of the year award, proved the ideal foil to Dale Steyn, the world’s No 1 ranked fast bowler, bowling a tight line at a lively pace and making the ball move in both directions through the air and off the seam. AB de Villiers was named one-day international cricketer of the year after scoring 475 runs at an average of 158.33 with a strike rate of 116.13 in his first season as South Africa's limited-overs captain. Hard-hitting opening batsman Richard Levi collected the Twenty20 player of the year award for his innings of 117 off 51 balls vs NZ in Hamilton. —
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