New Zealand seamer Tim Southee and batsman Tom Latham were honoured for their outstanding performances in Test cricket in the annual NZC awards.
The 31-year-old Southee, who claimed 41 wickets at an average of 22, over the course of the voting period claimed his third Winsor Cup.
Southee's exploits included outstanding performances in overseas Tests. He picked up six wickets in New Zealand's series-levelling victory in Colombo against Sri Lanka and also bagged 12 scalps from just two games in Australia.
At home, his season was headlined by a starring performance against India, where he picked up 14 wickets from two games to help his side win 2-0.
"It’s a great honour," Southee said after being virtually presented with the award by New Zealand coach Gary Stead. "When you see the great players who have won the award in the past it’s pretty humbling to see my name on it," Southee said.
"The Test win in Colombo was really special as we were able to bounce back from a defeat in Galle in challenging conditions. The way we played our Test cricket at home this summer was especially pleasing. To beat England first up was a great effort and then to perform so well against a very good Indian side was immensely satisfying." Tom Latham scored heavily for New Zealand in Tests, scoring hundreds against Sri Lanka and England while registering fifties against Australia and India. He highlighted his 154 against Sri Lanka in the same Colombo Test as an especially satisfying performance.
"The innings in Sri Lanka is the one that stands out for me," Latham, who was named in the ICC Test Team of the Year for 2020, said. "In those conditions, it was pretty tough and to be able to put the team in a winning position was very rewarding."
Seam bowler Jess Kerr won the Phyl Blacker Cup for domestic bowling, after having picked up 20 wickets to top the wicket-taking charts across the women's and men's editions of the 2019-20 Super Smash T20 competition. It was a performance which booked her a spot in the team's squad for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
"To go over to Australia, and compete in a World Cup, it was a once in a lifetime sort of thing that happened and I absolutely loved it," the 22-year-old said.
She now has her eyes set on next year's ICC Women's World Cup at home. "It' s the World Cup next year, so I'll definitely be looking to be there now that I'm not injured. Trying to get a bit faster and creating some new variations would be ideal."
Former New Zealand wicket keeper-turned-commentator Ian Smith was on Tuesday honoured with the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding service to cricket.
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