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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 28, 2016
David Warner wins Allan Border Medal By Brydon Coverdale
DAVID Warner has capped off a year in which he was named Australia’s vice-captain by winning the Allan Border Medal for the first time. Warner also won the Test Player-of-the-Year title at the award ceremony in Melbourne, and finished clear of captain Steven Smith and fast bowler Mitchell Starc in the Allan Border Medal count. Glenn Maxwell was named ODI Player-of-theYear. Smith had won the Allan Border Medal last year and scored more runs than Warner across all international formats during the voting period, but Warner finished with 240 votes to Smith’s 219, with Starc in third place on 183. Warner was Player-ofthe-Series for the home wins against New Zealand this summer having scored twin hundreds at the Gabba and 253 at the WACA; he finished the series with the remarkable return of 592 runs at 98.66 from three Tests. Warner finished the voting period with 1 334 Test runs at 60.63, behind only Joe Root and Alastair Cook in Test cricket in that time. In the count for the Test Playerof-the-Year Award, Warner finished on 30 votes, clear of Smith on 24 and Starc on 18, with batsman Adam Voges finishing fourth on 16 in a year that saw him become Test cricket’s oldest man to score a hundred on debut. In his acceptance speech, Warner paid an emotional tribute to his wife Candice, a professional ironwoman and mother of his two daughters, whom he said had played a significant role in helping
him turn the corner after a disappointing 2013 in which he was suspended over his altercation with Joe Root in a pub in England. He also said he had expected Smith to win his second Allan Border Medal. “My heart is racing, I honestly thought Smudge had a terrific year and he would have taken this out,” Warner said. “People said to me I can be one of the greats of the game but you just sit there and let that go through both of your ears. You can only control what you control and for me that’s being the best person I can be on and off the field.” Warner ’s progression from T20 cricketer - he made his international debut in the format before playing firstclass cricket - to vice-captain and now Test Cricketer-ofthe-Year and Allan Border Medallist suggests a maturing of him both on and off field. He said he was proud of the way he shrugged off the initial perceptions that he was just a T20 slogger. “That means a lot to me,” Warner said. “I look back and look through the Twenty20 cricket that I came through, to put myself into the New South Wales Shield team and then giving myself the opportunity to put my hand up for selection for an Australian baggy green. “Something that I really will cherish for the rest of my life, getting that baggy green presented to me by Slats (Michael Slater), similar way we played, aggressive, try to take it to the bowlers, it’s something I’m really grateful for.” Starc might have considered himself unlucky not to take home any silverware
David Warner poses with the Allan Border Medal, Melbourne, yesterday. during the evening, given that he was Player-of-the-Tournament in Australia’s World Cup triumph last year and during the tri-series that preceded it. He ended up on 25 votes in the ODI Player-ofthe-Year Award, three votes behind the winner Maxwell on 28, while Mitchell Marsh finished third on 23. Maxwell scored 644 ODI runs at 46.00 during the voting period, third on Australia’s run tally behind Smith and Warner, but his cause was helped by his presence as the lead spinner for much of the year in the 50-over format. He was Australia’s third-leading wicket-taker during the voting period with 19 at 29.52, behind Starc on 41 wickets and Pat Cummins on 21. No T20 award was presented this year as Australia played only one game during the voting period. The Belinda Clark Award, for Australia’s best women’s cricketer across the international formats, went to Ellyse Perry for the first time, having been won by Meg Lanning for the past two years. However, there could hardly have been any other
winner this year given that Perry was Australia’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker during the voting period. South Australia batsman Alex Ross was named the Bradman Young Cricketerof-the-Year, having scored 416 Sheffield Shield runs at 32.00 in the Sheffield Shield and 237 at 59.25 in the Matador Cup during the voting period. He finished with 31% of the vote from fellow players, ahead of Victoria opener Travis Dean on 24% and Western Australia fast bowler Joel Paris on 21%. Voges was the Domestic Player-of-the-Year for the first time, collecting 32% of the player vote, narrowly ahead of his Western Australia team-mate Michael Klinger on 30%, while South Australia batsman Callum Ferguson finished third on 12%. Voges made 1 232 runs at 64.84 across all three domestic formats during the voting period, compared to Klinger’s 1568 at 52.27. (Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo@brydoncoverdale.)
New Zealand stadium announcer reprimanded for Amir taunt NEW Zealand Cricket has admonished a stadium announcer for taunting Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir during the third T20 on Friday. Long-time announcer Mark McLeod, who is contracted by NZC, had played a cash register sound effect during one of Amir’s spells during the match at Westpac Stadium. NZC CEO David White said he has since apologised to the Pakistan team, and has now publicly reprimanded McLeod. Amir is playing in his first international tour since being suspended for spot-fixing in 2010. “I think (playing the sound effect) was inappropriate and disrespectful, and has the effect of trivialising one of the biggest issues fac-
ing cricket at the moment,” White told Fairfax New Zealand. “I’ve contacted the Pakistan team management to apologise, and to assure them there will be no repeat.” Amir has had a lukewarm response from New Zealand crowds upon his return. There were cheers for him during his first match in five years, at Eden Park, though a much smaller chorus of boos was also heard. Pakistan’s team management also confirmed there was a spectator who flashed money and jewellery at Pakistan players during the first ODI. On that occasion, Mohammad Hafeez had brought the fan’s behaviour to the notice of the team’s security personnel, who then sought out the fan and asked
him to stop. A team spokesperson said that jibe was not particularly directed at Amir, and that Amir had been largely unaware of it. The spectator had not been ejected from the ground. White said NZC were content to give spectators a degree of freedom, as long as their behaviour did not constitute Mohammad Amir abuse. “A member of the public in the stands having a bit of banter and humour - it’s different,” he told Radio Sport. “We can’t direct people how to behave all the time. “There’s a line of drunken disorderly abusive behaviour but stadiums are full of people in groups together; around the world there is banter. I guess there is the line that people need to stay within.” (ESPN Cricinfo)
West Indies umpires participate in exchange programme
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Two umpires from the West Indies will participate in a reciprocal Umpire Exchange Programme (UEP) with the Bangladesh and England Cricket boards. West Indian and Trinidad and Tobago umpire, Zahid Bassarath will officiate in the upcoming Bangladesh first class league scheduled to run from February 19 to March 7. Bassarath began umpiring in 2009 and was promoted to the senior panel in 2012. In the UEP, the umpire from Bangladesh (yet to be named) will be assigned to round two of the WICB’s Professional Cricket League (PCL) in rounds 8 to 10 scheduled for St Lucia, Antigua and Trinidad and Tobago. The other umpire in this exchange will see Jamaican, Verdayne Smith visiting England in March for three rounds of first class matches while Martin Saggers from the English Cricket Board (ECB) will officiate in Rounds 9 and 10 of the PCL in Trinidad and Tobago and St Kitts respectively. Smith has been an umpire since 2000 and is currently a member of the WICB senior panel. The UEP is among member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the WICB has been involved since 2009.
Project Officer at the WICB, Rawl Lewis, says “this programme has been and continues to be an integral part of our umpire development as it provides opportunities for the umpires to experience different conditions and to follow the protocol of other leagues which is vital for their advancement. Lewis noted that six out of 12 umpires currently on the senior panel, including Peter Nero, Gregory Brathwaite, Joel Wilson, Nigel Duguid, Leslie Reifer and Patrick Gustard, have participated in the programme in England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Nero was the first to participate in the exchange programme in England back in 2009. The WICB hosts at least two umpire workshops per year and focuses on a series of topics to include changes to the laws and playing conditions, developing group culture amongst umpires, leadership and match management. The workshops are held prior to the age-group and first-class tournaments for both senior and second tier panel umpires. The WICB will look to have similar workshops in 2016.
Dwayne Bravo replaces Evin Lewis for Unity cricket
DWAYNE Bravo will replace fellow Trinidadian Evin Lewis for the Unity Cricket feature game, billed for Saturday evening at the Guyana National Stadium. The 32-year-old Bravo is a batting all-rounder and with his T20 experience he will definitely strengthen the pace attack of Ramnaresh Sarwan’s Legacy’s All Stars team when they face-off with the 007 Warriors. The game involves a galaxy of overseas and local stars. Fans are reminded that no glass bottles, firearms, large coolers or large umbrellas will be allowed into the venue. The concept of Unity Cricket is to unite Guyanese through sports, regardless of
DWAYNE BRAVO race, religion, political affiliation or social status. In addition to the T20 game, five softball matches will be played. For information on hospitality booths and concessions, call 693-7366, 6859194 or 600-0007.