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SYDNEY - Australian captain Ricky Ponting was awarded the Allan Border medal yesterday as the country's best cricketer over the past year.
Ponting won the country's top individual award for the third time in the past four years to cap a memorable season in which he led Australia a 5-0 Ashes test series whitewash over England and victory in the Champions Trophy one-day tournament.
The 32-year-old was also named as Australia's best test and one-day player, completing a unique sweep of the major prizes after being recognised as the International Cricket Council's player of the year for 2006.
"To win all three awards tonight has blown me away," Ponting said.
"It's been the best cricketing year of my life."
Ponting was a runaway winner of the award after scoring 1115 runs at an average of 74.33 in 10 tests and 968 runs at 48.40 in 23 one-day internationals during the 12-month voting period.
Ponting won the Allan Border Medal in 2004 and 2006 and is the only multiple winner of the award.
Glenn McGrath (2000), Steve Waugh (2001), Matthew Hayden (2002), Adam Gilchrist (2003) and Michael Clarke (2005) were the other winners.
Mike Hussey finished second in this year's poll with Shane Warne third in his final year before retirement.
- REUTERS
