Australian cricket's top awards through the years: Steve Smith gunning for record fifth AB Medal
Updated . First published
Smith gunning for record fifth medal
At the end of every Australian summer, the nation's cricketing elite gather to recognise the achievements of the past 12 months.
The Allan Border Medal is the top gong awarded to the best men's player over the past year, while the Belinda Clark Award recognises the best women's player.
Steve Smith can in 2025 become the first five-time winner of the medal, although Travis Head looms as the favourite. Smith is equal with Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke as a four-time winner.
Here, Wide World of Sports runs through every winner of each award, from the first AB Medal presentation in 2000.
2000: Glenn McGrath
McGrath famously claimed in a 1999 column he would take five wickets in a must-win World Cup match against the West Indies.
At that point, he was down on form and such a prediction seemed ludicrous.
He took 5-14 as the Aussies bowled the Windies out for 110. They went on to win the match and we all know what happened after that.
This, among other stellar performances won him the inaugural AB Medal in 2000.
2001: Steve Waugh
The Australian Test skipper led his side to a record-breaking 12 consecutive Test victories throughout 2000 and into the new millennium.
As an individual, he bashed nearly 1000 runs in the 14 innings during the 1999 calendar year with an average a smidge under 50. He also made four tons.
2002: Matthew Hayden
It was in the 2000-2001 summer Haydos cemented himself as an Australian opener.
In the following 12 months, he hit an astonishing 1391 runs from 25 innings at an average of 63 with five tons and a highest score of 203.
2002: Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton won the first of her four Women's International Cricketer of the Year awards (it wasn't the Belinda Clark Award until 2013) in 2002.
The sport was far from the professional organisation it is now, and the Australian Women's team played two Tests and only five ODIs all year.
But during one of those Tests, Rolton smacked a then-record 209 not-out in the first innings against England at Leeds.
2003: Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist was rapidly changing the role of a wicket-keeper when he became the only gloveman to win the AB Medal.
Across Tests and ODIs in 2002, Gilchrist scored 1628 runs and scored his career-best 204 not-out against the Proteas in Johannesburg.
He was also awarded one-day player of the year, and is pictured here being presented that award by Nine commentary legend Richie Benaud.
2003: Karen Rolton
As the women's side only played six ODI's (against New Zealand in February-March), Rolton went back-to-back in 2003.
She scored 330 runs in that series with a highest score of 105 not-out.
2004: Ricky Ponting
2003 was RT Ponting at the peak of his powers.
He only batted 18 times in 11 Tests, but still scored 1503 runs at an average of 100.2. He smashed six tons, including three doubles. His highest Test score of 257 in the Boxing Day in Melbourne came that year.
He also captained Australia to a second successive World Cup victory in South Africa.
This photo was taken in the leadup to the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
2004: Cathryn Fitzpatrick
The first winner of the award not named Karen Rolton, Fitzpatrick was already a 10-year veteran of Australian women's cricket when she won the award in 2004.
Fitzpatrick was deadly with the ball that year, taking a ridiculous 29 wickets from only 10 innings across Tests and ODIs.
2005: Michael Clarke
Another man who would go on to win four AB Medals, Clarke's debut Test series against India in 2004 was the stuff of dreams.
He famously scored 151 in his first Test innings in Belgaluru, and then later in the series took an incredible 6-9 with the ball in Wankhede.
In his first Test innings on home turf against the Kiwis in Brisbane, he scored 141 as part of a 218-run partnership with Adam Gilchrist for the sixth wicket.
