Travis Head edges Alex Carey to win second straight Allan Border medal
Sydney, August 7
Australian batter Travis Head has become the fifth cricketer to win back-to-back Allan Border Medals after edging out wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey in a tightly contested vote.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc won the Shane Warne Men's Test Player of the Year award, while Mitchell Marsh and Tim David were named the top ODI and T20I players respectively, according to cricket.com.au.
Travis Head received his second consecutive Allan Border Medal from former Australia captain Allan Border at an event in Brisbane on Friday.
Last year, Head won the Allan Border Medal by a big margin and was close to winning several other awards too. This year, he secured the honour by a narrow margin after votes from players, umpires and media.
Head edged South Australian teammate Alex Carey by one vote and Mitchell Starc by three votes. His match-winning 163 in the New Year's Test at the SCG, his third century of the Ashes series after moving up to open the batting, played a key role in helping him secure the award.
Head stood out from fellow AB Medal contenders Carey, Starc and Smith by finishing the voting period as Australia's leading Test run-scorer and the top batter in the ODI team.
He scored four centuries during the 2025-26 season, including a quick 142 against South Africa in Mackay, a match-winning 123 in the Perth Test and a 170 in Adelaide that helped Australia retain the Ashes.
With this win, Head joined teammates Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon as multiple-time Allan Border Medal winners. He also became the fifth Australian to win the award in consecutive years, joining Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, David Warner and Shane Watson.
Head said he felt honoured to have Allan Border present the medal and described winning two AB Medals as a special achievement that he could share with his children in the future.
"(I felt) very privileged and honoured to have 'AB' (Border) in the room; that's the difference (from last year's presentation in Sri Lanka), is having him there to present it. 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," Head said after winning the award.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a cricket fan from India, I have to say Head's aggressive approach at the top of the order has completely changed the game for Australia. The way he dismantled our bowling in the recent series was painful to watch but honestly brilliant. Congratulations to him!
Travis Head has genuinely become one of the most dangerous batters in world cricket. That 170 in Adelaide was something else - absolutely batted India out of the game. The fact that he's won it back-to-back shows how consistent he's been. Well played, mate!
Not sure why Alex Carey didn't win it honestly. The guy has been phenomenal behind the stumps and with the bat. One vote difference seems harsh given how important his contributions have been. But congrats to Head, he's a great player.
The way Head transformed from a middle-order batter to a destructive opener is honestly inspiring. Reminds me of how Rohit Sharma did it for India. It's not easy to change your game at the international level, but he's made it look effortless. 🏏
Can we talk about Mitchell Starc winning the Test player of the year as well? The guy keeps proving why he's one of the best bowlers of this generation. His consistency with the new ball is unmatched. Great year for Aussie cricket.
V Vikram M < We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.