David Warner and Ellyse Perry took home the top accolades at the 2020 Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne on Monday, winning their third Allan Border Medal and Belinda Clark Award respectively.
The most prestigious awards in Australian cricket, they recognise the outstanding men’s and women’s player from the past year across all formats and are voted for by peers, umpires and media.
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Warner beat Steve Smith to the men’s award by a single vote after a fine 2019 that included 647 runs at 71.88 during the World Cup. Following a dismal Ashes series that saw him record 95 runs across five Tests, the opener bounced back during the Australian home season and recorded a Test-best of 335 not out against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval. Warner was also crowned Men’s T20I Player of the Year, seemingly capping off a redemption story almost two years on from the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.
Perry’s 2019 saw her score a century in the Ashes Test at Taunton and take figures of 7-22 in an ODI at Canterbury, the best-ever by an Australian women’s player.
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Marnus Labuschagne was named Men’s Test Player of the Year, having established himself in the Australian side after being thrown into the Ashes series at Lord’s as Test cricket’s first concussion substitute. He impressed in the remainder of the series with 353 runs at an average of 50.42 before hitting four centuries across the home summer in Tests against New Zealand and Pakistan.
Aaron Finch was named Men’s ODI Player of the Year after leading Australia to the World Cup semi-final, while wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy won both Women’s ODI and T20I Player of the Year for the second season running.
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Victoria spinner Molly Strano was named Female Domestic Player of the Year, while veteran Western Australian Shaun Marsh took home the men’s award.
