Steve Smith scoops Australian cricket’s top gong as he caps stellar year

Steve Smith has joined Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke as the only men to win the prestigious Allan Border Medal four times.

The 33-year-old scooped up the award at the Australian Cricket Awards in Sydney on Monday night at the end of a remarkable year.

Smith, who won the award in 2015, 2018 and 2021, received 171 votes, finishing clear of Travis Head and David Warner, who received 144 and 141 votes respectively.

Steve Smith won the Allan Border Medal at the Australian Cricket Awards in Sydney on Monday

Despite falling out of favour in the T20I set-up, Smith sealed the medal with a tally of 1547 runs this season across all formats at an average of 55.3. 

At Test level, Smith has averaged 71.92 in the past 12 months, plundering 876 runs in 11 Tests and he moved past Sir Donald Bradman with his 30th Test century this summer. 

Only Ponting and Steve Waugh have made for Test tons for Australia than the former Aussie skipper.

Smith reaped the rewards of a year-long process to revamp his batting technique and at the beginning of the home summer, said he felt the most comfortable at the crease that he had in six years.

The 33-year-old is only the third player after Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to win the Allan Border Medal four times in his career 

Smith passed Sir Donald Bradman with his 30th Test century this summer

The former Australia captain hit back-to-back centuries in the Big Bash last week 

He went on to make an unbeaten 200 runs against West Indies, his highest Test score since 2019, and backed it up with 104 runs in his home Test at the SCG against South Africa. 

Smith was just as efficient away from home, scoring a remarkable 145 not out on a difficult pitch in Galle as Australia lost to Sri Lanka and compiling three half centuries in Pakistan, as the Aussie marked their first series in the country for 23 years with a win.

The 33-year-old featured in just one game of Australia’s botched T20 World Cup campaign but has starred in the Big Bash for the Sydney Sixers, hitting back-to-back hundreds last week. 

Meanwhile, Warner and Marcus Stoinis were named the Men’s ODI Player of the Year and Men’s T20I Player of the Year respectively. 

The former was Australia’s leading run-scorer during the voting period with 552 runs at 42.46, including four fifties and a century, while Stoinis scored 347 runs at 31.54 during the voting period at a strike rate of 168.5 and claimed eight wickets. 

Beth Mooney was received the Belinda Clark Award as Australia’s best female cricketer and won Women’s ODI Player of the Year, scoring 594 runs at 99.00 during the voting period.

Meanwhile, Tahlia McGrath won the Women’s T20I Player of the Year.