Ponting clean sweeps national awards
by Cricket Archive Staff Reporter
DateLine: 6th February 2007
Australian Ricky Ponting capped the finest 12 months of his career with
a clean sweep of the major awards at the Allan Border Medal count here
on Monday.
Ponting won his third Allan Border Medal, which recognises Australia's
best player over the previous 12 months, and also won the Test Player
of the Year and One-Day Player of the Year.
Ponting, who had also won the top award in 2004 and 2006, is the first
player to win the Allan Border Medal three times. He also became the
first player to claim all three awards - which are voted for by
players, media and umpires - in one year.
Having produced the best form of his career in both Test and one-day
cricket, Ponting was a clear winner in the top award, polling 107
votes, with Mike Hussey second on 58 and recently retired legspinner
Shane Warne third.
Ponting scored 1,115 Test runs during the voting period, including five
centuries. He also scored 968 one-day runs at 48.40, with four
centuries, and led both Australian sides in fine style.
"To win all three awards tonight has blown me away," Ponting said. "I
knew I'd had a good Test year, I thought my one-day season had been
very up and down, but if you get enough man of the match awards I guess
you're going to poll a few votes. It's a great honour to win an Allan
Border Medal, but to win three is pretty special."
In the Test count, Ponting polled 12 votes in the 10 eligible matches
during the voting period to edge out Warne (10), while paceman Stuart
Clark was third on six votes.
The limited-overs award came down to the final game.
Ponting's century in Sunday's win over New Zealand proved pivotal as he
snatched the One-Day Player of the Year by two votes.
Injured allrounder Andrew Symonds, with 713 one-day runs at 50.93, led
by one vote before Sunday's game, but Ponting's 104 got him maximum
votes and allowed him to overtake the Queenslander.
Ponting finished on 20, Symonds on 18 and batsman Michael Clarke was
third on 16, while last year's winner, Hussey, was fourth.
West Australian opener Chris Rogers was a runaway winner in the State
Player of the Year, while recent one-day international debutant Ben
Hilfenhaus was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year.
