Mitchell Marsh was awarded with the Allan Border medal at the Australia Cricket Awards night. He got the medal with 233 votes, 79 ahead of Pat Cummins.
A major factor in Marsh winning this prestigious medal was his stunning return to the Test side, coupled with his power-house batting performances in white-ball cricket. Marsh is the first allrounder to take out the award in more than a decade, with Shane Watson the last to do it in 2011.
Marsh, 32, fought back tears as he reflected on his stellar year, and had to compose himself as he thanked the captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald for their belief in him.
“I'd like to pay particular thanks to Ronny and Patty. You believed in me, I can't thank you enough for believing in me. I'm a bit fat at times and I love a beer but you see the best in me always and you've changed my life so thank you very much,” Marsh said as quoted by Daily Mail.
Marsh also paid credit to his team and said it is a joy to play with his teammates.
“To our team, I just love playing in this team now. I've had so much fun, especially over the last 12 to 18 months. We've had so much team success and I'm really proud to have contributed to that over this period. Everybody knows I love a good time and when you keep winning it just gets better and better, so it's been great,” he added.
He scored the second-highest number of runs (1638 at 58.5) by an Australian cricketer during the voting period across Tests, ODIs, and T20s, tied with fellow World Cup hero Travis Head.
Here is the list of all the winners at the Australia Cricket Award night:
Allan Border Medal and Men's ODI Player of the Year: Mitch Marsh
Mitchell Marsh won the Allan Border medal for the first time and received 233 votes, 79 ahead of captain Pat Cummins. Mitchell Marsh was also named the Men’s ODI Player of the Year with the highlights being his century against Pakistan in Bengaluru during the World Cup on his birthday and his 177 against Bangladesh in Pune.
Belinda Clark Award: Ashleigh Gardner
Ashleigh Gardner was awarded the Belinda Clark Award, which was her second time receiving the said award. Gardner polled 147 votes to finish ahead of allrounder Ellyse Perry (134 votes) and Annabel Sutherland (106 votes).
Shane Warne Men's Test Player of the Year: Nathan Lyon
One of the best off-spinners in the world today, Nathan Lyon was given the Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year award. The highlight was his 8/64 in the Nagpur Test against India and he also completed 500 wickets in Test cricket.
Women's T20I Player of the Year and Women's ODI Player of the Year: Ellyse Perry
Legendary all-rounder Ellyse Perry was given the Women’s T20I Player of the Year award. During the voting period, Perry hit 390 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 148.29. Perry also won the Women’s ODI Player of the Year award for her performances for the Australian team.
Men's T20I Player of the Year: Jason Behrendorff
Left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff was named the Men’s T20I Player of the Year in what was his return to the format after a 2-year absence. Behrendorff's economy rate of 6.68 during his five games during the voting period was the deciding point for him winning the award.
Women's Domestic Players of the Year: Elyse Villani and Sophie Day
Elyse Villani has claimed her third domestic award in four years and shared it with spinner Sophie Day. During the voting period, Vilani hit 951 runs at an average of 52.83 for Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes. Day, on the other hand, took 27 wickets in WBBL with a best of 5/23.
Men's Domestic Player of the Year: Cameron Bancroft
Cameron Bancroft was a clear-cut pick for Men’s Domestic Player of the Year for 2024. Between December 5, 2022, and December 5, 2023, Bancroft hit 1636 runs across all the formats. With 512 runs, Bancroft is Shield's leading scorer in games completed so far this season.
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Fergus O'Neill
23-year-old Victorian quick Fergus O'Neill took home the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award. He has taken 50 wickets in 16 games across formats in the voting period for this award, with two five-wicket hauls.
Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Emma de Broughe
Opening batter from South Australia, Emma de Broughe was the top-scorer, hitting 731 runs at an average of 43 and with a high score of 112 not out, with four half-centuries throughout the voting period, all in the WNCL.
BBL 13 Player of the Tournament: Matt Short (Adelaide Strikers)
Matt Short of Adelaide Strikers won the BBL 13 Player of the Tournament award with 541 runs striking at a very handy clip of 153.25, and passing fifty in six of his 11 innings. His 25 sixes were also the most in the competition this summer.
WBBL 9 Player of the Tournament: Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder)
Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder) scored 511 runs at 42.58, striking at 129.69, and picked 9 wickets as well.
(Cricket Australia inputs)
