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Steve Smith has achieved a feat that only Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke could lay claim to previously, becoming the third player to clinch the Allan Border Medal on four occasions.
Another star of the Australian cricket awards night on Monday was Beth Mooney, who collected the Belinda Clark Award for the second time.
Smith, who added to his 2015, 2018 and 2021 Allan Border Medal victories, claimed the gong after compiling 1547 runs at 55.3 from 32 matches across the three formats.
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The New South Welshman scored more than half of those runs in Test cricket, making 863 at 71.92.
Smith polled 171 votes to beat Travis Head (144) and David Warner (141) for the highest individual honour in Australian men’s cricket.
“You’re in rarefied air,” said presenter Mel McLaughlin when Smith arrived on the stage.
The former Test captain’s first reaction was one of humour.
”Four times just makes me feel old,” he laughed.
“Extremely humbled to be up here.
“My last four months I’ve changed a lot of things. I’ve worked incredibly hard on my game to get myself back playing the way I wanted to play. I’m really pleased.
“I certainly don’t play for these accolades.
“But it’s been a tremendous 12 months with the Australian team. I think we’ve overcome some really good hurdles and played some tremendous cricket.
“Really humbled.”
Border wasn’t at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse due to illness, but his wife Jane presented the medal to Smith.
Ponting won the Allan Border Medal in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009, while Clarke was the recipient in 2005, shared the award with Ponting in 2009 and triumphed again in 2012 and 2013.
Although Smith registered the most votes overall, Usman Khawaja won men’s Test player of the year, carving out 1020 runs at 78.46 to capture the award now named in remembrance of Shane Warne.
David Warner collected men’s one-day international player of the year and Marcus Stoinis took out men’s T20 international player of the year.
Mooney, who won the Belinda Clark Award and women’s ODI player of the year, was recognised for piling up 976 runs at 65.1. The star batter was also crucial to Australia’s victorious 50-over World Cup campaign, which saw her pummel 62 from 47 against England in the final.
“To be honoured by a legend of our game in Belinda Clark is incredible,” said Mooney, who won her first Belinda Clark Award in 2021.
“I feel immensely privileged to be a part of this Australian team after obviously such a successful year, and (to) be honoured tonight by Belinda.”
Mooney reeled in 129 votes to edge Meg Lanning (110) and Tahlia McGrath (95) for the Belinda Clark Award, while McGrath was the winner of the women’s T20I player of the year award.
Full list of award-winners
Belinda Clark Medal: Beth Mooney
Allan Border Medal: Steve Smith
Women’s ODI player of the year: Beth Mooney
Women’s T20I player of the year: Tahlia McGrath
Shane Warne men’s Test player of the year: Usman Khawaja
Men’s ODI player of the year: David Warner
Men’s T20I player of the year: Marcus Stoinis
Women’s domestic player of the year: Annabel Sutherland
Men’s domestic player of the year: Michael Neser
WBBL player of the year: Ashleigh Gardiner
BBL player of the year: Matt Short
Betty Wilson young cricketer of the year: Courtney Sippel
Bradman young cricketer of the year: Lance Morris
Community champion award: Usman Khawaja
Cricket blaster of the year: Mabel Tovey
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees: Marg Jennings and Ian Redpath
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