The 48th NatWest PCA Awards will take place at the Roundhouse in Camden tonight with Essex seam bowler Jamie Porter in contention to emulate Northamptonshire’s Ben Duckett by completing the NatWest PCA Awards double.
Last year Duckett became the first player to win both the NatWest PCA Players’ Player and Young Player of the Year Awards in the same season and Porter, who was this week called up to the England Lions tour of Australia, has been shortlisted in both categories.
Both awards are voted for by current county players. Essex’s Specsavers County Championship winner has been shortlisted alongside Glamorgan all-rounder Colin Ingram, Nottinghamshire’s white ball double winning all-rounder Samit Patel and Surrey’s former Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara for the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year. The winner will receive the Reg Hayter Cup.
In the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year Award, Porter faces competition for the John Arlott Cup from fellow seamers, Jofra Archer of Sussex, Yorkshire’s Ben Coad and Somerset’s Craig Overton, who is preparing for his first Ashes tour.
The winner of the NatWest Women’s Player of the Summer will also be announced late tonight with three members of the England side that won the ICC Women’s World Cup shortlisted. Opening batsman Tammy Beaumont, who won this prize 12 months ago, faces competition from slow left-armer Alex Hartley and all-rounder Natalie Sciver for the award which has been voted for by their peers.
The NatWest PCA Awards is organised by the PCA in their 50th year, in association with the England and Wales Cricket Board with the Awards reflecting on the domestic and international season with all proceeds from the night going to the PCA Benevolent Fund.