Justin Langer is expecting a tight count during Monday night’s Australian cricket awards in Melbourne, where a number of contenders are in the mix to claim the Allan Border medal.
The recipient of the Allan Border medal, presented to the nation’s best performing male cricketer of the year, has often been easy to predict since its establishment in 2000.
But that is certainly not the case during this voting period, during which Australia retained the Ashes in England then stormed to five Test wins at home.
Pat Cummins, David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon all enjoyed a productive 2019.
Cummins was the most consistent of the six stars, but his rivals could potentially have produced more three-vote performances.
“Often there’s a real standout but (now) there’s a few after what’s been on this winter in the Ashes and World Cup, and this summer,” national men’s coach Langer said after rolling his arm over and donning the pads in Cricket Australia’s bushfire fundraising match.
“I’m not sure who’s going to win. I think it’s going to be tight this year.”
Warner had a prolific World Cup then miserable Ashes series, while Smith excelled in England then failed to post a Test ton at home.
Cummins won the award in 2019, tallying 156 votes to edge Lyon (150) and Aaron Finch (146) on that occasion, and could become the first bowler to win consecutive Allan Border medals.
Alyssa Healy, who won the Belinda Clark award in 2019, is also a good chance to go back to back but Ellyse Perry headlines a list of competitors.
Australian cricket’s night of nights is scheduled to start at 7pm at Crown Melbourne, where a stack of awards will be presented in addition to the two major gongs.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
The front page of The Australian, complete with a photo of the unpleasant little man: "Warner’s redemption is complete David Warner has had a remarkable 12 months since, capped off by the news that he is the 2020 Allan Border Medalist." Australian cricket values and publicly applauds its cheats and it idolises them even more when they are team vice captains and such. They surely have debased the Alan Border Medal. I suspect the notion that Warner has redeemed himself is not the popular view.
deano
Roar Rookie
bwaaa hjaaaa haaaaa, Warner!!!!! you have got to be kidding me? they've just made a complete joke of the already dodgy award.
Nick
Roar Guru
Because the voters (backed by the media, pundits and 80% of the six loving crowd) back cheap second innings centuries on a flat track against demoralised opposition instead of bowlers putting in the hard tards on the flat tracks and picking up 10 fors like Lyon.
JGK
Roar Guru
CA didn’t think that through when they banned Warner. Maybe should only have been ineligible for the AB until 2021
Matt of W
Roar Rookie
Well that disappointing, how Cummins got little enough in ODI's and t20's to not reach past warners total is unbelievable, my back of the napkin calculations show that Warner could not have gotten more than 9 votes in the test, which given the weights puts him at 54 votes for the AB compared to 114 votes from Cummins in just his tests.
Matt of W
Roar Rookie
Hmm, Labs for Test player of the year, well deserved for sure, but worries me about cummins chances for the big one.
JGK
Roar Guru
It’s going to be a bit awkward when Warner wins. I hope they have congratulatory messages lined up from Broad and Rabada. Cummins will struggle to get 3s - he is a specialist 5/110 every match player plus he hasn’t batted well recently.
Nick
Roar Guru
I hope I'm wrong too, Paul. It would be an outrage - and an indictment on the depth of Australian cricket - if Warner wins. Cummins has been so consistent, but I reckon he'll grab more 1 votes than the bigger 2 or 3 votes. The vote counters always value a century on a road more than getting 5 wickets on the same road.
Paul
Roar Guru
I hope you're wrong Spruce. Cummins has been terrific in all three game types over the past 12 months and hasn't missed a beat in any format. You've done a pretty good job mentioning where other potential candidates have fallen down, so if all things are equal, I still reckon Cummins should win comfortably. The only problem might be if all things aren't equal!
Nick
Roar Guru
Warner will probably challenge that. In 2019 he missed little international cricket... although his ashes was so diabolical he may as well have missed it. He'll rack up points for the world Cup, the joke ODIs and T20s at the start of the summer, the run feasting against Pakistan, NZ. Smith will hog all the ashes points, starc will claim a few WC points. Warner and Labu will take all the 3,2 votes from the Pakistan series. Cummins was consistent, but just not sure where he's gonna get enough 3 vote games from.
Paul
Roar Guru
I can't see it being tight. Cummins should win in a canter, IMO.