Australia’s swashbuckling batsman Aaron Finch has been crowned with the T20I player of the year award at the 2018 Allan Border Medal ceremony in Melbourne on Monday (February 12). Finch secured the award by fetching 11 votes, edging out leg-spinner Adam Zampa and all-rounder Moises Henriques by just one vote.
It is worth mentioning here that Australia have played only 5 T20I games in the voting period, stretching from January 8 last year to Australia’s limited-overs tour to India in 2017. While Finch has posted the scores of 43, 12 and 53 against Sri Lanka in three T20Is at home, he recorded 42 and 8 in two T20Is against India in October 2017.
Finch, who has been bestowed with the same honour in 2014, scored 158 runs in the voting period as compared to Henriques’ 145 runs. On the other hand, leg-spinner Adam Zampa has scalped 5 wickets in the two T20Is against Sri Lanka whereas he picked up 2 wickets against the Indians in as many games.
Widely deemed as one of the best T20 opener in the world, Finch has represented Australia in 34 T20Is thus far, scoring 1152 runs at an incredible average and strike-rate of 38.40 and 150 respectively.
Australia’s T20I Player of The Year Votes (source: www.cricket.com.au):
Aaron Finch - 11 votes
Adam Zampa - 10 votes
Moises Henriques - 10 votes
Jason Behrendorff - 7 votes
Michael Klinger - 5 votes
Earlier Steve Smith and David Warner won the Test and ODI player of the year and was duly rewarded at the Allan Border Medal night.