The Finalists of the SportsWest Awards were announced earlier today, with WA Cricket nominated in three separate categories to highlight another extraordinary year on the cricket field.
WA Cricket Finalists in SportsWest Awards
The WA Men’s team have been recognised for their recent on-field dominance of domestic cricket to be nominated in the Team of the Year category, after delivering a further two titles in the Marsh One-Day Cup and Sheffield Shield competitions.
WA completed their third straight 50-over title with a dramatic win over New South Wales in the Final, after finishing the qualifying matches in second place with four wins from seven matches.
The path to Sheffield Shield glory wasn’t as straight forward, with the side having to win their final two matches and needing other results to go their way in order to qualify for their third straight decider.
With luck on their side, WA were able to earn hosting rights for the Final and they never looked back, dominating Tasmania at the WACA Ground to secure a third straight Sheffield Shield trophy.
Their feats during the 2023-24 season meant they became the first state to win a hat-trick of both domestic titles, simultaneously.
None of the above would have been possible without the tireless work and dedication of Head Coach Adam Voges, who has been nominated for Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season.
Voges played an enormous role during both these campaigns, working expertly with his support staff to ensure the players were mentally and physically prepared for a gruelling domestic summer.
The mentorship of Voges has been crucial to the state’s recent success, with his easy-going nature and calm demeanour providing the playing group the environment that has allowed the players to get the best out of themselves both on and off the field.
His reputation as one of the country’s premier cricket mentors and tacticians has grown in recent seasons, having also had the opportunity to coach Australia A in a multi-format series last summer.
Meanwhile, young gun Mahli Beardman has been recognised as one of the rising stars of WA sport, after being nominated as Finalist of the Rebel Junior Sports Star Award.
It has been a breakout calendar year for Beardman, who made his List A debut for WA against NSW at the start of last summer.
A gifted bowler who generates natural pace of up to 140km/h, Beardman earned his maiden state contract at the beginning of the 2023-24 domestic season, after showing immense promise for Melville in WA Premier Cricket.
Beardman, who has long been earmarked as a future star of Australian cricket, was also selected to play for Australia in the U19 World Cup in February 2024, and delivered a Player of the Match performance in the Final as Australia claimed the title.
He finished the tournament with 10 wickets at 10.50 in six matches, forming part of a potent pace attack alongside Queensland pair Tom Straker and Callum Vidler.
Those performances on the big stage were also recognised at senior international level, when he was chosen to tour with the Australian white-ball squads to the United Kingdom in August.
He also earned his maiden BBL contract in the same month, signing a two-year deal with the Perth Scorchers.
The 2025 SportWest Awards will be held on Thursday 6 February in the Locker Room at Optus Stadium.