Thirty-six awards were handed out at CSA's annual function in Johannesburg on Thursday night in the professional categories alone. In the morning session, 25 other winners were named in the "pathways" sections.
Of all the 61 who were garlanded - everyone from curators, scorers and umpires to coaches and players girls and boys, women and men - one name rose from the glitz.
It wasn't that of Keshav Maharaj, the men's player of the year, nor Nonkululeko Mlaba, the female equivalent who won two other major trophies on the night. Not even of the names of the great and the good nor of the next big thing - players like Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen, Dewald Brevis, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Annerie Dercksen, who were also accoladed - could steal the spotlight from him.
Instead, the name that shone brighter than all the others belonged to someone who has earned only seven Test caps, a dozen in both white-ball formats at international level. In his 215 first-class innings he has reached 50 just once. But, even though he doesn't generate noticeable pace, swing or movement, he has taken 625 first-class wickets at 24.13. And all those wickets isn't why we're talking him up. Who the hell is he?