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Smith cleans up at Allan Border Medal night

Steve Smith got out in an uncharacteristic manner. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
27th January, 2015
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Steve Smith was the toast of the Australian cricketing community after sweeping the Allan Border Medal on Tuesday, just 12 months after doubting he had what it took.

The 25-year-old capped a golden year by taking home a trifecta of gongs including the Test, ODI and Player of the Year awards.

Smith revealed that after finding himself in a scoring slump during last summer’s Ashes series, self doubt began to creep into his mind.

“I definitely feel like I’m a lot more confident now than what I was then,” he said.

“I feel as though my preparation has been really good over the last while, like I’m hitting the ball as well as I ever have.

“You’ve got to try to be as confident as you can walking out to the middle.”

There was nothing particularly remarkable or sexy about the way he turned it around – sticking to a consistent preparation.

However the results have been glorious for Australian cricket fans to behold.

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Last calendar year he tonked 1756 runs in 22 matches, at an average of 67.54, including eight 50s and seven hundreds.

He streeted the field in Player of the Year voting, collecting 243 votes, well ahead of David Warner with 175 and Mitchell Johnson with 126.

Smith edged out David Warner for Test Player of the Year and pipped Aaron Finch for the one-day award.

It was the first time Smith has won any award at the night but in one fell swoop joined the rarefied air of some of the game’s modern greats.

He became the 10th recipient of the Allan Border Medal, joining the illustrious list of winners which also includes Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.

He also became the third player to win the trifecta, following in the footsteps of Ricky Ponting in 2007 and Shane Watson in 2011.

“As a kid I used to sit back and watch the Allan Border Medal and see some of my childhood stars appear on the TV and receive these awards,” Smith said.

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“To have receive one now is a pretty amazing feeling.”

Glenn Maxwell was rewarded for his efforts with bat and ball to win Twenty20 player of the year.

He scored 241 runs at 20.08 and took nine wickets but received the nod for his supreme finishing ability.

The emotional high-point of the night came when Sean Abbott was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year.

The NSW allrounder has shown immense courage and maturity to bounce back from the tragic death of Phillip Hughes during a Sheffield Shield match in November.

Western Australian emerging quick Jason Berendorff was crowned domestic player of the year award after claiming 64 wickets in 23 matches in all forms of the game, 18 more than his nearest rival.

Meg Lanning was named women’s cricketer of the year after a dominant year with the bat.

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She edged out Ellyse Perry 57 votes to 50, despite scoring 1124 runs at 51.09, nearly double that of her teammate who accumulated 605 runs.

Allan Border medal winners
* Allan Border Medal: Steve Smith

* Test Player of the Year: Steve Smith

* ODI Player of the Year: Steve Smith

* Twenty20 Player of the Year: Glenn Maxwell

* Belinda Clarke Award: Meg Lanning

* Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Sean Abbott

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* Domestic Player of the Year: Jason Berendorff

Steve Smith’s remarkable 2014
* 1756 runs at 67.54

* Highest score: 192

* Eight 50s, seven 100s

* 1212 runs at 86.57 from nine Tests

* 541 runs at 49.18 from 12 ODIs

* 3 runs from one T20I

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