Sonny Baker voted PCA Young Player of the Year after breakthrough summer
Sonny Baker has been voted the PCA Young Player of the Year after a breakthrough summer with ball in hand.
The 23-year-old England and Hampshire fast bowler — pace through the air, built to attack the stumps — took the Toyota PCA Men's Young Player of the Year prize at the 2026 PCA Awards. He is the first Hampshire player to win it, according to BBC Sport.
Baker called the award "awesome" and "a massive honour". That matters because it is voted for by fellow players. A nod from the dressing rooms, not just the judges.
His summer had range. Baker won The Hundred with Manchester Super Giants, the 100-ball-a-side competition that compresses a match into one sharp evening. He also helped Hampshire reach T20 Blast Finals Day, the end-of-season showpiece for the short format.
Then came England. Baker made his Test debut against New Zealand, the five-day format where patience and pressure build over sessions. His best figures came in the first T20 against Sri Lanka, with 3-12 — three wickets for 12 runs. He was then included in England's squad for the ODI tri-series in Pakistan, the 50-over format that sits between Tests and T20s.
The main prizes of the night went elsewhere. Somerset duo Craig Overton and Sophie Luff took the headline accolades at the ceremony, as reported by Sky Sports. Tilly Corteen-Coleman was named Toyota PCA Women's Young Player of the Year, the PCA confirmed.
Baker had been shortlisted alongside Middlesex's Naavya Sharma for the men's young player prize. The shortlist was announced on 22 September, ahead of the final vote.
What makes this stand out is the breadth. Few young quicks move so smoothly between formats in one season. Baker did. That peer vote suggests other players noticed.
