It’s the night of nights for Australian cricket as the countries finest get set for the bat and ball Oscars, the 2017 Allan Border Medal. Follow all the live coverage of the night on The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for all the award results and updates.
The awards this year, across all categories, are expected to be as tight as ever following an undulating year of form for the Australian cricket team.
The voting period ran from the eighth of January 2016 to the seventh of January this year.
In terms of the voting system, Test match votes are worth twice as many as ODI votes and three times as much as T20 votes.
The weighting system tries to accommodate players who only play long-form cricket, but does open up big points for those who play all three formats.
David Warner was the surprise winner of last year’s Allan Border Medal, beating out skipper Steve Smith who was the hot favourite leading into the awards.
Smith again has his name firmly in the hat for the 2017 awards, having been the leading run scorer in Tests over the voting period, but he again has Warner to deal with.
Warner had a year to remember in the 50-over game, comfortably leading the run-scorers list in ODI cricket with seven centuries inside the voting period. While not his best year in Test cricket, he was still consistent enough to pick up enough votes to become overall favourite for the AB medal.
Last year’s ODI player of the year, Glenn Maxwell, is highly unlikely to retain that crown, but is favourite to take out the T20 player of the year. Despite the award not being given last year due to a lack of T20 games, Maxwell does hold the gong from 2015.
Mitch Starc will be the pick of the bowlers for the top prize on the night. He picked up 52 wickets to sit atop those standings during the last 12 months, making him one to keep an eye on.
Adam Voges was put in the ICC Test team of the year recently, but is unlikely to feature too prominently tonight, having missed a big chunk of the voting period at the back end of 2016.
Predictions
Judging off stats alone, it looks like it could be another big year for Warner who is a shoe-in for the ODI player of the year.
Smith has arguably been the best Test player through the period and will likely take that gong, but Starc will be a stern match-up for the Aussie captain and could be the first bowler to win it in nine years.
The T20 player of the year could be a bit closer with Maxwell the favourite, but Shane Watson and Aaron Finch have the potential to sneak their way in there.
Dutski
Roar Guru
Thanks for the blog Connor.
Connor Bennett
Editor
Warner gets his second AB Medal in a row to go with his ODI player of the year win as well. Meg Lanning was similarly the big winner for the women as well, taking out the Belinda Clarke award for female cricketer fo the year, as well as the female domestic player of the year award.
Connor Bennett
Editor
So we have our full list of winners for the 2017 Allan Border Medal. Allan Border Medal - David Warner Belinda Clarke Medal - Meg Lanning Test Player of the Year - Mitch Starc ODI Player of the Year - David Warner T20I Player of the Year - Shane Watson Women's Domestic Player of the Year - Meg Lanning Men's Domestic Player of the Year - Cameron White Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year - Hilton Cartwright Betty Willson Young Female Cricketer of the Year - Sophie Molineux
Connor Bennett
Editor
Connor Bennett
Editor
ALLAN BORDER MEDAL - CRICKETER OF THE YEAR Warner took it out last year and he already has the ODI player of the year award to his name tonight. Mitch Starc took out the Test player of the year gong earlier in the night as well. Smith has been his usual self, while Hazlewood has been pulling out Glenn McGrath style numbers over the last 12 months. It's an open race here!! And the winner is... DAVID WARNER!! Warner takes it two years in a row, just the fourth person to win back-to-back medals. He had a huge year in the One-day format and despite a sluggish winter overseas in Test match cricket, he found some form towards the back end of 2016 to add to his run of hundreds at the start of that same year. His numbers across all three formats make him a deserved winner of the big award.
Connor Bennett
Editor
Allan Border Medal Nominees: Steve Smith David Warner Mitch Starc Josh Hazlewood Two batsmen, two bowlers, who will be the 2017 AB medalist?
Connor Bennett
Editor
The AB Medal is coming up next
Connor Bennett
Editor
Connor Bennett
Editor
BELINDA CLARKE MEDAL - WOMENS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Time for the big one in the women's game. Ellyse Perry scooped it up last year and isn't too far off being the big favourite to do it again. There's been some tight competition across the women's game over the last 12 months. Nominees: Meg Lanning Ellyse Perry Jess Jonassen And the winner is... MEG LANNING!! Lanning gets her second award of the night, but this is the big one. She's scored three ODI hundreds over the last 12 months at an astonishing average of 63. This is the third year she's won the Belinda Clarke award and rightly so. Still just 24-years of age, she may one day surpass Clarke as one of the greatest Aussie female cricketers of all time.
Connor Bennett
Editor
Connor Bennett
Editor
Connor Bennett
Editor
I don't think anyone would have picked Watson hahah
Connor Bennett
Editor
HALL OF FAME INDUCTION Third and final entry into the hall of fame. MATTHEW HAYDEN One of Australia's greatest ever opening batsmen, Matthew Hayden is often underrated when looking back at the greats of the game. Hayden retired in 2009 after 103 Tests to his name, racking up 8,625 runs and an incredible 30 centuries at the top of the order, the third most hundreds for an Australian behind only Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh. He held run-scoring records all over the place, but the greatest was his mammoth 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003, surpassing the great Brian Lara for the highest test score of all time. He also held Australia's highest ODI score as well, notching up 181 against New Zealand. He was one half of one of the best opening partnerships in test cricket history, linking up with Justin Langer in a golden era for Australian cricket. He is the only person to have scored over 1,000 runs in a calendar year, five years in a row, such was his dominance through the early 00's. He was an absolute beast at the crease in the shorter formats as well, helping Australia to their third World Cup win in a row at the 2007 event in the West Indies.
Dutski
Roar Guru
I was tipping Renshaw. Mind you I didn't pick Watson either.
Connor Bennett
Editor
Many were expecting Renshaw to nab the Bradman award, but his run in the Test side and string of strong performances came right at the back end fo the voting period. Cartwright had a big Sheffield Shield campaign at the end of the 2015/16 season.
Connor Bennett
Editor
Connor Bennett
Editor
Connor Bennett
Editor
DON BRADMAN AWARD - YOUNG CRICKETER OF THE YEAR One of the big awards of the night. Plenty of players have taken this gong and gone on to win the Allan Border medal in later years, so it's a big push for the future. Nominees: Hilton Cartwright Matt Renshaw Jake Weatherald And the winner is... HILTON CARTWRIGHT!! Cartwright takes it, coming off his Test debut earlier in the summer. He was a stand out for Western Australia as a future all-rounder and he now has that experience at the top level. Despite a less than ideal start to his test career, he's certainly one for the future.
Connor Bennett
Editor
BETTY WILLSON AWARD - YOUNG FEMALE CRICKETER OF THE YEAR A new award in it's first year. Another big step for women's cricket. Nominees: Sophie Molineux Georgia Redmayne Ash Gardner And the winner is... SOPHIE MOLINEUX!! Just 18-years of age, she's a bright spark for the future no doubt after a big state season over the past few months. Well deserved.
Connor Bennett
Editor
It is. It's on GEM, which I think is channel 82 for most people on free TV