Travis Head bagged the 2026 Allan Border Medal, winning Australia’s biggest individual men’s cricketing honour for the second consecutive year following an extraordinary 2025-26 season.
With this, he has joined the list of elite players Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Steven Smith, David Warner and Shane Watson as multi-time Alland Border Medallists. Ponting, Clarke and Smith have won the medal four times while Smith and Warner bagged it thrice. Notably, Head played 30 games across all three formats in the 2025-26 season, and amassed 1437 runs.
The highlight of Head’s season came during day two of NRMA Insurance West Test, where he scored 123 off 83 balls. It helped the team claim an eight-wicket win and the first win of the Ashes series. However, his top score for the season was a 170, which came in the second innings of his home Test in Adelaide. Notably, Head edged his teammate Alex Carey by just one vote and won the medal with 153 points, whereas Mitchell Starc finished third with 150 votes.
Mitchell Starc Named Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year, Marsh Named Men’s ODI Player of the Year
Mitchell Starc won the Shane Warne Award for Men’s Test Player of the Year during the 2026 Australian Cricket Awards. He received the honour from Warne’s father Keith during a ceremony held in Brisbane. Notably, this is also the second time he has won the award, getting it previously in 2017. Starc played 11 Tests during the voting period and claimed 56 wickets at 18.12 with the career-best figures of 7-58 during the last Ashes opener against England.
Moreover, Starc’s exceptional bowling performance helped Baggy Greens wrap up the series whitewash 3-0 over the West Indies by taking the fastest five-wicket haul in the history of the format. He had achieved the figures in just 12 deliveries, and finished the innings with figures of 6-9.
In addition, Mitchell Marsh was named the 2026 ODI Player of the Year by Cricket Australia. He captained the team in all six matches he featured in, and scored 304 runs at an average of 60.8 in the format, helping the side pull off a 2-1 home series win over India. Moreover, he scored his first century as Australian captain during the team’s biggest ODI win over South Africa last year. The game also saw him stitching a stunning opening partnership of 250 with Travis Head.