Sean Abbott, the bowler Australia rallied around following the Phillip Hughes tragedy, was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year at the Allan Border Medal ceremony in Sydney on Tuesday night.
The prestigious prize was awarded to the 22-year-old fast bowling all-rounder who made his Twenty20 and ODI debuts for Australia last October but was thrust before the public eye a month later when he delivered the fateful delivery to Hughes, the recipient of the Bradman award in 2009.
Stand-in captain Steve Smith won the Allan Border Medal, beating David Warner and Mitchell Johnson. Smith also claimed the Test player of the year award and the ODI player of the year award, completing a clean sweep in a remarkable season of personal success. The Belinda Clark Medal was awarded to Victoria and Southern Stars batter, Meg Lanning, ahead of Ellyse Perry, and Glenn Maxwell was named T20 player of the year.
Abbott thanked the cricket community after he won his prize.
"I am thankful for the support of the Australian cricket family and wider community, as well as my own family, close friends and teammates, and especially my girlfriend Brier," he said in a pre-recorded message, as he was in Canberra preparing for the Big Bash League final.
"I feel privileged to receive such an award, especially after a couple of good seasons in a row on the field and some tough off seasons pushing myself to continually improve. I feel that this is a reward for a lot of good work and finally putting some consistent good performances together."
Abbott's award was emotional. Smith's naming as the winner of the Border Medal was predictable. Less expected, however, was his naming as winner in both the Test and ODI categories.
"I thought I would be up there but I certainly didn't think I'd be collecting the one day, the Test and the AB Medal," Smith said.
"I've joined a pretty illustrious group of players that have come before me. I used to sit back as a kid and watch the Allan Border Medal and see some of my childhood stars appearing on the TV receiving these awards. To have received one now, it's a pretty amazing feeling to be honest."
Smith, who has stepped ably into the captaincy role vacated since Michael Clarke was injured, polled 243 votes for the medal, beating Warner with 175 and Johnson, who tallied 126.
He won the Test player award, marginally ahead of Warner, and the ODI gong ahead of Aaron Finch.
Smith said he was pleased for his NSW teammate Abbott.
"He's done terrific over the last little bit," he said.
"As a player and a person, he's come a long way in the past 12 to 18 months. He's a great kid, he always wants to get better and he bowls some pretty feisty spells at times."
Throughout the Border Medal voting period, from January 24, 2014, to January 10, 2015, Smith, 25, blossomed into an unorthodox but dominating right-hander in the middle order.
He was the leading run-scorer in Australia's year of Tests - which consisted of series wins against South Africa and India and a loss to Pakistan - with 1212 runs, marginally ahead of Warner's 1209.
Previous winners of the Allan Border Medal are Mitchell Johnson, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Steve Waugh and Glenn McGrath.
Gilchrist was named one of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Inductees, along with the late Victorian all-rounder Jack Ryder, a former Test captain and long-term selector.
