Photo Credit: Cricket Australia
- Ashleigh Gardner and Mitchell Starc have claimed their first Belinda Clark Award and Allan Border Medal respectively.
- Alyssa Healy was named Female ODI Player of the Year while Beth Mooney won the Female T20 International Player of the Year.
- Travis Head won the Male Test Player of the Year, Mitch Starc was named Male One-Day International Player of the Year and Mitchell Marsh took out the Male T20 International Player of the Year.
- Elyse Villani won the Female Domestic Player of the Year, Darcie Brown was named Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year.
- Travis Head was named Male Domestic Player of the Year, Tim Ward received the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award.
- Zoe Cooke won the Community Champion Award.
Allrounder Ashleigh Gardner and prolific fast bowler Mitchell Starc are maiden Belinda Clark and Allan Border medallists respectively, having been awarded the top honours in Australian cricket
Both are first-time recipients of their respective accolade as voted by their peers, umpires and the media across all forms and every game of international cricket over the past 12 months.
Gardner’s ultra-consistent season with both bat and ball was fittingly rewarded with the Belinda Clark Award.
Across 10 innings Gardner struck 281 runs at an average of 35.1 that included four half centuries and a top score of 73 not out in a memorable T20 win against New Zealand in Hamilton.
A valuable asset in the field, Gardner’s off-spin broke through for nine wickets, two shy of Sophie Molineux’s year-leading 11.
The quintessential allrounder, Gardner finished the voting period inside Australia’s top three run scorers and top five wicket takers across all formats.
Gardner won her first Belinda Clark Award with 54 votes from Beth Mooney (47) and Alyssa Healy (39) who finished second and third respectively in the voting.
Starc has enjoyed a sensational year of international cricket and captured a combined 43 wickets at an average of 24.4 across all formats, 12 clear of the nation’s next best.
The left-arm quick was crowned the Male ODI Player of the Year following dominant performances in the three-match series against the West Indies which included a haul of 5-48 in the opening game.
One of the best pink-ball bowlers in the game, Starc thrived in the Vodafone Ashes series and amassed 19 wickets at 25.36 with a best of 4-37 in the first innings of the Day-Night Test in Adelaide.
Starc also scored 241 runs across all formats at an average 26.8 to sit inside Australia’s top 10 run scorers over the past 12 months.
Starc (107 votes) outpolled T20 World Cup hero Mitchell Marsh (106) by a single vote to win the Allan Border Medal while batter Travis Head was third in the polling with 72 votes.
For the third consecutive year Healy claimed top honours as the Female One-Day International Player of the Year with 13 votes ahead of Rachael Haynes (10) and Megan Schutt (10).
Top-order batter Mooney took out the Female T20 Player of the Year with 13 votes, ahead of Tahlia McGrath (10) and Gardner (6).
South Australian batsman Head’s outstanding Vodafone Ashes Series secured him the Male Test Player of the Year.
It is the latest in a string of honours for Head this summer, who was crowned the Miller/Compton Medallist as Player of the Series in Australia’s victorious Ashes campaign.
The left-hander struck 357 runs at an average of 59.50 in the Ashes and, alongside Usman Khawaja, was the only player to register multiple centuries in the series.
Allrounder Marsh (53 votes) capped a stellar year by being voted the Male T20 International Player of the Year ahead of Josh Hazlewood (29) and Ashton Agar (26).
Marsh compiled 627 runs at 36.9 during the voting period and was instrumental in Australia’s first ever victorious T20 World Cup campaign, scoring an unbeaten 77 from 50 balls to be named Player of the Match in the final.
Elyse Villani and Darcie Brown took the prized Female Domestic Player of the Year and Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year awards respectively.
Villani scored four centuries and 1,050 runs in 21 games at an average of 61.8, while Brown’s 30 wickets across all competitions during the voting period reinforced her enormous potential.
South Australian captain Head was also voted Male Domestic Player of the Year with 902 runs at 50.1 in all forms of the game, while Tim Ward was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year for his 506 runs at 46 throughout the year.
ACT Meteor Zoe Cooke was named Community Champion for her work to support, promote and advocate for the women’s game in the ACT through coaching and mentoring roles, particularly in the pathway system.
In addition to the volunteer roles she plays within community cricket, Zoe also puts her hand up for several other charitable causes such as the Grizzly Bear Adoption Program for the World Wildlife Foundation, One Foot Forward challenge for Black Dog Institute and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The awards for international cricket are based on votes from players, umpires and the media on a 3-2-1 basis from each match.
For the domestic awards, the votes are collected from all players.
To be eligible for the Young Cricketer of the Year awards, players must be 24 years or less prior to the commencement of the award period and have not won the award previously.
Prior to the award period, male players must have played 10 or less first-class matches and 25 or less combined List A and BBL matches and female players 25 or less matches.
Award winners
• Belinda Clark Award – Ashleigh Gardner
• Allan Border Medal – Mitchell Starc
• Female ODI Player of the Year – Alyssa Healy
• Female T20I Player of the Year – Beth Mooney
• Male Test Player of the Year – Travis Head
• Male ODI Player of the Year – Mitchell Starc
• Male T20I Player of the Year – Mitchell Marsh
• Female Domestic Player of the Year – Elyse Villani
• Male Domestic Player of the Year – Travis Head
• Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year – Darcie Brown
• Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year – Tim Ward
• Community Champion Award – Zoe Cooke
• Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees – Raelee Thompson and Justin Langer
Belinda Clark Award
Ashleigh Gardner (54 votes)
2nd: Beth Mooney (47 votes)
3rd: Alyssa Healy (39 votes)
Allan Border Medal
Mitchell Starc (107 votes)
2nd: Mitchell Marsh (106 votes)
3rd: Travis Head (72 votes)
Female ODI Player of the Year
Alyssa Healy (13 votes)
2nd: Rachael Haynes/Megan Schutt (10 votes)
Female T20 International Player of the Year
Beth Mooney (13 votes)
2nd: Tahlia McGrath (10 votes)
3rd: Ashleigh Gardner (6 votes)
Male Test Player of the Year
Travis Head (12 votes)
2nd: Scott Boland (10 votes)
3rd: Mitchell Starc (7 votes)
Male ODI Player of the Year
Mitchell Starc (15 votes)
2nd: Matthew Wade (6 votes)
3rd: Adam Zampa/Alex Carey (4 votes)
Male T20 International Player of the Year
Mitchell Marsh (53 votes)
2nd: Josh Hazlewood (29 votes)
3rd: Ashton Agar (26 votes)
Name of Author: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for cricket in Australia. Established in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, CA manages all national teams, including Men’s, Women’s, and Youth sides, as well as other national teams. It oversees the organization of Test matches, ODIs, and T20Is, and coordinates home international fixtures.
