Superstar’s 25-year first as MCG history-maker also claims Aussie cricket’s top gong

Travis Head can recall the crossroads innings which kickstarted his dazzling international career and played a crucial role in his Allan Border Medal triumph on Monday night.

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Head, who was in and out of the international team in the early stages of his career, pinpointed the innings he found “clarity” in how he wanted to attack bowlers.

He understood and accepted it could have been the end for him at Test level but was willing to take the risk.

The trademark aggression paid off that day – as he smashed England to all parts – and has paid off even more since, with him now recognised among some of Australia’s greatest players.

“It goes back to that Ashes series in ‘21, whether or not I had clarity it was going to work,” Head said with a laugh.

“I had clarity on how I wanted to do it, that was never guaranteed to have success, I am very fortunate and very lucky it was able to pay off on the first day I tried to make that shift.

“I had done it in the domestic season leading up to that but Test cricket is a different kettle of fish.

“I had clarity on what I wanted to achieve and how I wanted to go about it but that’s never guaranteed, it could have been one more series and back to South Australia.

“I understood that, I was fine with that, if it was 25 Tests and done, at least I gave it a crack – I am very pleased it worked that day.”

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Head polled 208 votes to pip Josh Hazlewood (158 votes) and Pat Cummins (147) who finished second and third respectively.

Head, 31, claimed the One-Day International Player of the Year and finished second in the Twenty20 and Test Player of the Year awards.

He fell just one vote short of equalling Hazlewood in the Test gong and three behind Adam Zampa in the Twenty20 Player of the Year award.

Head slammed 1,427 runs across all formats during the eligibility period which was an impressive 621 more than second-best Steven Smith.

Head led Australia’s runs tally in Tests and Twenty20s while he finished second in the One-Day International count despite playing half as many games as first-placed Smith.

Head’s four Test hundreds during the period, including the two series-shaping tons against India, eventually helped him claim the top award as he polled maximum votes in both of those matches.

Head quickly referred to the past 12 months as “busy” when asked how he would assess the campaign.

He said he would reflect on the Allan Border Medal at the end of his career but, in the short time, would look back on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy win more fondly.

“It’s nice to get the reward of that individually but I think as a team we’ve done an exceptional job,” he said.

“I’ve said for a while that that (the team) is the only thing that concerns me but it will be nice to look back on.

“I feel like the Indian series (was my highlight), the Test series just gone, it was nice to contribute – it was such a big five, six weeks.

“I know I said I felt every bit of it but to contribute and also get through that on the winning side of it was very satisfying.

“When you go through, look at your career and what series you played in, individually if I did well or not, it still goes down as one of the best I’ve been involved in.”

Meanwhile two days after making history on the MCG Annabel Sutherland’s run of Test match dominance was rewarded with a maiden Belinda Clark Award after an unforgettable 12 months.

Sutherland, who rewrote records in two Tests this period by becoming the first woman to hit a Test hundred at the MCG as Australia sealed an Ashes whitewash over England, won ahead of two-time winners Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney.

She collected every possible vote across both Tests in the eligibility period to beat Mooney and Gardner, who have alternated wins of the award for the past four years.

The 23-year-old became the youngest female Australian, and second youngest overall, to make a double century when she scored an epic 210 against South Africa.

She followed it up in January when she belted England for a magical 163 on the grand stage of the MCG in a day-night Test match.

Sutherland edged out Gardner (second) by 25 votes and Mooney by 53.

Such was her dominance in Australian colours, Sutherland finished equal third in the One-Day and sixth in the T20 Player of the Year awards.

Touted as a future Australian captain, having already taken control of the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL, Sutherland was still taking in the enormity of her MCG achievement when the award was placed around her neck on Monday night.

Gardner’s two dominant 50-over matches during the Ashes, which Australia won 16-0, the first time such a result has been achieved, propelled her ahead of Kim Garth for the One-Day Player of the Year award.

Gardner, who polled with 31 votes, claimed maximum votes in the first and third ODI against England.

The all-rounders final six votes, courtesy of a match-winning century in Hobart, won her the award outright after entering the match tied with Garth.

Gardner suffered the same fate as Garth in the T20 Player of the Year Award however, as Mooney surged home in the final three matches to claim the award.

Mooney polled a total of 13 votes in the three Twenty20s against England, including a maximum six votes in the final game, to burst ahead of Gardner by 10 votes.

“The T20s this year were probably a bit disappointing for us, obviously with that T20 World Cup and the little bit of soul searching not only personally but as a group,” Mooney said in her acceptance speech.

“The Ashes whitewash was pretty excellent and that T20 series was amazing from the group to be able to post incredible scores and defend well with the ball.

“I thought our bowlers were excellent all throughout the year so wouldn’t have been too upset if a bowler got the award tonight.”

The Aussie women’s team were in attendance – fresh off their Ashes series whitewash against England – with members of the men’s Test team in Galle as the awards night lands in-between Australia’s two matches against Sri Lanka.

But without any duties to worry about the women were up to the challenge of a big night, appearing to play a drinking game where they took a swig any time someone said “whitewash”.

They also took the chance to sledge England about women’s coach Jon Lewis’ bizarre claim that “cultural differences”, such as going to the beach growing up, were a reason for the Aussies’ success.

Ash Gardner, while discussing the summer, said: “Some walks along Bondi have been really good as well.”

Meanwhile Beth Mooney quipped: “Obviously growing up in Hervey Bay with all the big waves, that’s held me in good stead to be able to score big runs for Australia.”

Mitch Marsh followed up with a hilarious interview with the boys from The Grade Cricketer.

“My little nephew Ted, he’s four years old, we played backyard cricket the other day. He came in with Bumrah’s action, and the nightmare continued!” he joked.

AWARD WINNERS

– Allan Border Medal: Travis Head

– Belinda Clark Award: Annabel Sutherland

– Shane Warne Test Player of the Year: Josh Hazlewood

– Men’s ODI Player of the Year: Travis Head

– Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Ashleigh Gardner

– Men’s T20I Player of the Year: Adam Zampa

– Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Beth Mooney

– BBL|14 Players of the Tournament: Cooper Connolly and Glenn Maxwell

– WBBL|10 Players of the Tournament: Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen

– Men’s Domestic Cricketer of the Year: Beau Webster

– Women’s Domestic Cricketer of the Year: Georgia Voll

– Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Sam Konstas

– Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Chloe Ainsworth

Recent inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame – Michael Clarke, Christina Matthews and Michael Bevan – were also celebrated.