Making more Test runs than anyone on the planet in the past 12 months wasn’t enough to secure star opener Usman Khawaja back-to-back player of the year honours on Wednesday night.
Instead superstar spinner Nathan Lyon was rewarded for pushing in to cricket’s elite 500-club and added a second Shane Warne Test player of the year award to his list of career accomplishments.
Lyon, who turned 36 in November, was Australia’s leading wicket-taker across the voting period, picking up 49 scalps, playing all but three matches having been forced out of the Ashes early by a calf injury.
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His haul was five wickets more than the next best bowler, Pat Cummins, who took 44, and included a best return of 8-64 against India in Indore in March.
Lyon also moved in to the top-10 all-time Test wicket takers during 2023, claiming his 500th against Pakistan in Perth, becoming only the third Australian bowler to reach the milestone.
Khawaja, who was recognised as the ICC Test player of the year, finished third in voting after scoring 1062 runs with six fifties and two hundreds from his 13 matches.
Steve Smith was second in what was a tight count.
West Australian fast-bowler Jason Behrendorff was a surprise winner of the T20 player of the year, securing the award in a lean year for matches in the 20-over format.
Behrendorff was one of 20 players who wore the green and gold in matches through the voting period, and his eight wickets was enough to secure a second CA award, having been named domestic player of the year in 2015.
That award went to former Test opener Cameron Bancroft, who was overlooked by selectors as a replacement for David Warner in the Test team.
Bancroft scored a mammoth 1636 runs with 12 fifties and three hundreds during the voting period, having topped the Sheffield Shield run-scoring list last season, and leading it this season.
Matt Short, who was named the BBL player of the year, was the second-leading domestic run-scorer over the period, and only he and Bancroft averaged over 50.
AWARD WINNERS
Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year – Nathan Lyon
Men’s ODI Player of the Year – Mitchell Marsh
Men’s T20I Player of the Year – Jason Behrendorff
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year – Cameron Bancroft
KFC BBL | 13 Player of the Tournament – Matthew Short
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year – Fergus O’Neill
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