Travis Head and Annabel Sutherland named Australia's top cricketers at Allan Border Medal awards night

Travis Head and Annabel Sutherland have claimed Australian cricket's highest individual honors for the first time, standing out for their significant Test performances over the past year. The outstanding performances of these two players have earned them their respective awards.

Head won the Allan Border Medal by a significant margin, becoming the first South Australian player to receive the award. His outstanding performance has been widely recognized, and he has become an important figure in the history of the award. Sutherland, meanwhile, won the Belinda Clark Award after becoming the first female player to score a Test century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) just days prior.

Sutherland contributed 163 runs in Australia's dominant Ashes series victory, following her 210 against South Africa in the Perth Test a year earlier. Similarly, Head scored three Test centuries during the 12-month voting period, as many as all his teammates combined. Head's 140 against India at the Adelaide Oval was undoubtedly a highlight, helping Australia reignite the series after losing in Perth.

The 31-year-old amassed an astonishing 1427 runs across all three formats of the game during the 12-month voting period, which began with Australia's home Test series against the West Indies last January and concluded with the retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Head also won the Men's ODI Player of the Year award for the first time. While Head was a strong contender for the Border Medal, Sutherland finished third in the ODI voting and sixth in the Women's T20I award.

However, she received the most votes in the two Test matches played by the Australian women's team during the past 12-month voting period, and the extra weight given to that category was crucial. Sutherland is the daughter of former Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland and the sister of Victorian player Will Sutherland. She paid tribute to her family, especially her brothers Will and Tom. "I wouldn't be standing here without you guys. You didn't make it easy for me growing up in the backyard, you never backed down, and I'm so grateful for that now," she said. "I didn't think so at the time." "Mum and Dad ... I still live at home, so they probably know the ups and downs more than most people."

While their Ashes victory was the latest success for the powerful Australian women's team, Sutherland said their unexpected exit from the T20 World Cup before the final last October was a painful memory. "The team is in a really good spot at the moment. Looking back on the last 12 months, there have been ups and downs," she said. "There was the World Cup loss, which didn't feel great. It made me realize that, given our record, World Cups aren't actually that easy to win. "The way we responded after the World Cup probably just shows the character of the team."

This is the first time Sutherland has won any of the top women's awards – the Belinda Clark Award, the Women's ODI Player of the Year, or the Women's T20I Player of the Year. Head received 208 Border Medal votes, well ahead of Josh Hazlewood's 158, with Australian Test captain Pat Cummins finishing third with 147. Sutherland received 168 votes, ahead of last year's Belinda Clark Award winner Ashleigh Gardner. Gardner received 143 votes, and Beth Mooney finished third with 115 votes; Gardner and Mooney are both two-time winners.

While none of the top men's award winners were present at the awards ceremony in Melbourne on Monday night due to the current tour of Sri Lanka, the women's team celebrated in the room after dominating the Ashes series. The Australian women's team seemed to be playing a drinking game, with "sweep" being the key word. Head received his medal from Australian coach Andrew McDonald and played a video at the awards ceremony. "It's hard to believe - it's been a great year, and I'm very happy with how the team has performed," Head said. "It's a nice achievement, and I'll enjoy it. "I love what I do, being with this group of boys, it's been an amazing 12 months. I look forward to performing well, but maybe not having to do it all the time, so I don't have to be on stage or give interviews."

Adam Zampa and Mooney were named T20I Players of the Year, while Gardner won the Women's ODI award and Hazlewood took home the Men's Test honor. Sam Konstas was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year. Also on Monday night, Michael Clarke, Michael Bevan, and Kristen Beams were formally inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.