Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ben Cliff presents George Hill with his invitation to tonight’s PCA awards at Exhibition White City, where he has been nominated for the Toyota Men’s Player-of-the-Year award.
George Hill has described his nomination on a four-man list for the prestigious Toyota PCA Men’s Player-of-the-Year award as “really quite humbling”.
Yorkshire all-rounder Hill will head down to London this evening for the awards dinner where he is on a list alongside Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke, Surrey’s Dan Lawrence and Somerset’s Craig Overton.
The 25-year-old scored 748 runs from 14 Rothesay County Championship matches added to 48 wickets.
He was a talismanic presence in red-ball cricket and was an impressive performer with the white one too, particularly in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. In that competition, he scored 199 runs and took 15 wickets.
Calls for higher honours have come from many over the last month, be it England Lions or even the senior Test squad for the winter tour of South Africa.
Hill said of the nomination: “It’s pretty cool. It’s nice as well because obviously players around the country vote for it. That was really quite humbling.
“I didn’t really expect it all.”
Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket Gavin Hamilton said: “I’d have been amazed if he wasn’t in that (list). But to get the acknowledgment from the players as well.
“He’s as consistent as it gets.
“I can’t think of a cricketer around the country that just turns it on week in and week out with bat and ball, particularly with the ball.
“His batting now, compared to last year, has come on leaps and bounds as well.
“Coming in at seven and not six has made a huge difference obviously with the workload he gets with the ball.
“It’s a recognition that everyone can see it.
“I just hope the ECB can see it as well.
“If they’re serious around performance-based selections going forwards, I think it’s all there to be seen.
“I just hope he gets higher honours pretty soon because there’s not many more deserving around the country.
“There are a few comments around him not being quick enough as a bowler, but there are only two or three quicker in the country than him, and they’re front-line opening bowlers.
“He can get in any side as a bowler himself.
“I’d be very surprised if he’s not in and around some plans in the winter.”
