Mitchell Marsh sprints to Allan Border Medal after phenomenal 2023

A career that was once considered to be marred with injuries, Mitchell Marsh has defied all the odds and is one of the first names on the team sheet in all three formats of the game. With 441 runs in ten matches at an average of 49, Marsh finished as the second-leading run-scorer of the ODI World Cup 2023. He has also scored a century against England in the Ashes and has led Australia in the ODI and T20I series against South Africa.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Steven Smith were also in the reckoning but the ‘Bison’, as he is popularly known, bagged the prestigious award for the first time in his career. 

“(Thanks) to my teammates. I just love playing in this team. I have had so much fun in the last 12-18 months. We have had so much team success and I am proud to contribute to that over this period of time. I would particularly like to thank Ronny (Andrew McDonald) and Patty (Pat Cummins).. you believed in me and I can’t thank you enough for believing in me. I'm a bit fat at times and I love a beer.. but you see the best in me always,” Marsh said in his acceptance speech.

Cameron Bancroft named Australia men’s domestic player of the year

Prolific West Australian batter Cameron Bancroft has been named as Australian domestic player of the 2022-23 season. The 31-year-old has been extraordinary for Western Australia and was one of the favourites to replace David Warner after he retired from Test cricket but interestingly, Steven Smith was handed the opener’s role in the national team while Bancroft remains on the waiting list.

In 11 Shield matches, Bancroft made 945 runs at an average of 59.06. He was also part of the team that won the Marsh Cup and Sheffield Shield in the 2022-23 season. However, even after so much success, he is behind Matthew Renshaw in the pecking order of the national team. The cricketer also won the Big Bash League with Perth Scorchers last year, where he scored 357 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 140.

“I’m really proud to receive this prestigious award. To be recognised by other players around the country is very special and I feel honoured. There have been a lot of great players win this award and in years gone by, they were the players I’ve looked up to and aspired to,” Bancroft was quoted as saying by Western Australia after receiving the award.