Travis Head Retains Allan Border Medal After Edging Alex Carey in Closest Vote in Years

Brisbane, August 7: Australia’s batting mainstay Travis Head capped another remarkable year by retaining the prestigious Allan Border Medal, becoming only the fifth player in history to win Australian cricket’s highest individual honour in consecutive years.

Head edged wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey by a single vote in one of the closest finishes in recent memory, while veteran pacer Mitchell Starc finished just three votes behind during the voting period that ran from January 29, 2025 to January 8, 2026.

The left-handed batter received the medal from former Australia captain Allan Border during Cricket Australia’s awards ceremony in Brisbane and admitted the moment was even more special because the legendary cricketer was present to hand him the trophy.

“(I felt) very privileged and honoured to have ‘AB’ in the room. That’s the difference from last year’s presentation in Sri Lanka, having him there to present it,” Head said after receiving the award.

“To think that I’ve got two medals and my kids can look at them and I can tell them about it in 20 years’ time is pretty cool. To have both India and England series in there for both medals is cool.”

Stellar Year Across Formats

Head’s consistency across formats proved decisive in the voting. The 31-year-old finished the eligibility period as Australia’s highest run-scorer in Test cricket while also ending as the ODI team’s leading run-getter.

His defining performance came in the New Year’s Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he hammered 163 runs after making a successful switch to the opening position. It was his third century of a memorable Ashes campaign.

Earlier in the series, Head had also struck 123 in Perth and 170 in Adelaide, underlining his dominance against England’s bowling attack.

In the 50-over format, he produced another memorable innings with 142 against South Africa in Mackay, further strengthening his claim for Australian cricket’s top individual honour.

Elite Company for Travis Head

By winning back-to-back Allan Border Medals, Head joined an exclusive club of Australian greats. Only Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and David Warner had previously retained the prestigious award in consecutive years.

The latest triumph also makes him a multiple Allan Border Medal winner alongside Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon.

Other Major Award Winners

While Head claimed the night’s biggest prize, Mitchell Starc was recognised as the Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year after another outstanding campaign.

Starc’s performances included 31 wickets during the Ashes and a sensational spell of 6 for 9 with the pink Dukes ball against the West Indies in Jamaica.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh was named Men’s ODI Player of the Year, while hard-hitting batter Tim David received the Men’s T20I Player of the Year award.

Earlier this year, Annabel Sutherland had been honoured with the Belinda Clark Medal, Australia’s highest individual award in women’s cricket. Cricket Australia presented the award separately because of scheduling conflicts involving both the men’s and women’s national teams.

With another Allan Border Medal added to his growing list of accolades, Head has further cemented his place among the most influential Australian cricketers of the modern era.