Warner, Lanning get top Australia cricket honours

Warner, Lanning get top Australia cricket honours David Warner, the Australia vice-captain, was honoured with the Allan Border medal on Monday (January 23) for the second year in succession. Warner got 269 votes for his performances across Tests, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The left-hand batsman ranked higher than Steven Smith, the Australia captain, and

Mitchell Starc, the quick, in votes cast by fellow players, umpires and media representatives. Smith came in close with 248 votes, while Starc finished with 197.

Warner endured a relatively lean year in Tests during the voting period spanning January 12, 2016, to January 7, 2017, but was phenomenal in ODIs, scoring seven centuries as he amassed 1388 runs at 63.09. He was also named the ODI player of the year.

Warner became only the fourth player to win Australian cricket’s top honour in consecutive years after Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007), Shane Watson (2010 and 2011) and Michael Clarke (2012 and 2013), since its inception in 2000.

Meg Lanning, the Australia Women captain, claimed the Belinda Clark Award, the women’s equivalent of the Allan Border Medal, for the third time. She scored 1100 runs across formats at 50.00 last year, including three hundreds and five fifties.

Mitchell Starc was crowned Test player of the Year, while Shane Watson, now retired from international cricket, was T20I player of the year for the third time. Hilton Cartwright was named Bradman Young Cricket of the Year.

By winning the ODI player of the year award, Warner joined an elite group of players, including Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Watson and Smith, who have won the Allan Border Medal, the Test and ODI prizes.

“I was totally surprised and shocked, I thought Steve Smith would have taken it out, he’s had a great 12 months,” said Warner when he was named the 2016 Border Medallist. “I’m humbled and honoured to receive the award and I think it will sink in during the next week or so when I have some time to reflect on it.

“Thanks to my team-mates and Smith – without you all I wouldn’t be here, as it’s a team game,” he added.

Across formats, Smith finished with 2489 runs in 45 matches at 52.95 to Warner’s 2420 runs from 44 games at 46.53. Warner, however, had nine hundreds in the period and scored at a strike-rate of 102.62, while Smith recorded seven hundreds and had a comparatively modest strike-rate of 74.18.

Lanning, who also bagged the Domestic Player of the Year award, polled in with 51 for the international player award, eight ahead of Ellyse Perry.

“It’s been a very successful year for the team and I’m enjoying playing in it as all the players and staff make my job (as captain and batter) very easy.

“I’m looking forward to the World Cup this year and I’m very competitive. I enjoy making runs and I want to beat the opposition – that’s what it comes down to. There’s lots of challenges and hard work coming up and our aim is to defend the World Cup we won in 2013,” said Lanning.

Sophie Molineux won the inaugural Betty Wilson Female Young Cricketer of the Year, which, along with the women’s domestic award, were two new additions to this year’s ceremony.

Award winners

• Allan Border Medal – David Warner

• Belinda Clark Award – Meg Lanning

• Test Player of the Year – Mitchell Starc

• One-Day International Player of the Year – David Warner

• Twenty20 International Player of the Year – Shane Watson

• Men’s Domestic Player of the Year – Cameron White (Victoria/Melbourne Renegades)

• Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year – Hilton Cartwright (Western Australia/Perth Scorchers)

• Female Domestic Player of the Year – Meg Lanning (Victoria/Melbourne Stars)

• Betty Wilson Female Young Cricketer of the Year – Sophie Molineux (Victoria/Melbourne Renegades)

• Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees – Betty Wilson, David Boon and Matthew Hayden