Sonny Baker wins PCA young-player award after breakthrough Hampshire and England season

Sonny Baker has become the first Hampshire player to win the PCA Men's Young Player of the Year award, recognising a season that brought a Test debut and success in domestic cricket. Speaking to BBC Sport after the award, the England fast bowler said recognition from fellow professionals was especially meaningful, while stressing that continued improvement remained his priority.

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The Professional Cricketers' Association confirmed Baker's victory at its awards ceremony at Exhibition White City in London on 30 September. He had been shortlisted alongside Essex batter Charlie Allison and Middlesex bowler Naavya Sharma. The young-player awards were open to cricketers aged under 24 on 1 April, with the nominees selected through votes from their peers.

The PCA's account of Baker's season recorded 62 wickets across domestic cricket. That included 21 in the Vitality Blast at an average of 11.76, with best figures of 5-21, plus 12 in The Hundred. His international return was 10 wickets, six of them in T20 internationals, while his Test debut came against New Zealand at the Kia Oval.

BBC Sport reported that Baker helped Hampshire reach T20 Blast Finals Day and won The Hundred with Manchester Super Giants. He also featured in Brendon McCullum's England white-ball teams against Sri Lanka in September, taking 3-12 in the opening T20 match. Those performances were followed on Thursday by selection for England's one-day international tri-series in Pakistan.

Baker told the BBC that being chosen by players he respected and competed against added to the significance of the prize. He also spoke of his pride at joining a list of winners whose careers had developed into outstanding ones. Looking ahead, he said he wanted to approach the winter in separate stages rather than focus too far into the future.

The wider PCA ceremony brought the main men's and women's player awards to Somerset pair Craig Overton and Sophie Luff. Surrey and England spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman won the women's young-player award after making her international debuts in both T20 and one-day cricket during the year.