Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins won the Allan Border Medal on Monday while ICC Women’s World T20 player of the tournament Alyssa Healy bagged the Belinda Clark award, the country’s highest cricketing honours, after a tumultuous year for the sport that was rocked by the ball-tampering scandal.
The Allan Border medal has been won by Steve Smith and David Warner two times each over the previous four years. The two batsmen received a one year ban for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa and will be eligible for international selection again at the end of March.
Cummins, 25, narrowly won the medal with 156 votes, beating Nathan Lyon with 150 and Aaron Finch with 146. Cummins became the first bowler since Mitchell Johnson in 2014 to win the AB Medal, pipping Nathan Lyon, who claimed the Test Player of the year.
Born in Sydney, Cummins is the third bowler, after Glenn McGrath and Johnson, to win the award in the past two decades.
Fellow players, the media and umpires vote for player of the year.
Healy claimed the Belinda Clark Award ahead of Megan Schutt and Ashleigh Gardner, after an outstanding year for the wicketkeeper-batter. It was a night to remember for Healy as she claimed the top three prizes for Australia’s female cricketers, winning the ODI and T20 player of the year prizes as well as the Belinda Clark Medal.
Below is a full list of the winners (Courtesy: cricket.com.au):
Male One-Day International Player of the Year: Marcus Stoinis
Female One Day International Player of the Year: Alyssa Healy
Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Georgia Wareham
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Will Pucovski
Male Test Player of the Year: Nathan Lyon
Community Champion Award: Moises Henriques
Female Domestic Player of the Year: Heather Graham
Male Domestic Player of the Year: Matthew Wade
Female Twenty20 International Player of the Year: Alyssa Healy
Male Twenty20 International Player of the Year: Glenn Maxwell
Belinda Clark Award: Alyssa Healy
Allan Border Medal: Pat Cummins