Head, Sutherland claim top gongs, herald new era for Australian cricket

Between 2018 and 2021, Head played 19 Tests with an unspectacular record while also being in and out of the white-ball teams. That winter, he came home from an unsuccessful stint with Sussex in English county cricket and resolved to commit to the freewheeling approach that was hardly textbook but had the potential to turn games. History says that Head started the season well for South Australia, went out and belted a century in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane and has seldom looked back. His 2525 runs in 36 Tests since then have come at a fine average of at 45.08, but more importantly a blistering strike rate 81.32, making him arguably the most dangerous batter in world cricket. Similarly, Head has been a major strike force at the top of the order for the white-ball team, something underlined by his strong contribution to last year’s T20 World Cup campaign and storming innings on the ODI tour of England. “I was very fortunate, very lucky that it was able to pay off on the first day I tried to make that shift,” Head said in Galle. “I’d obviously done it a bit in the domestic season leading up to that. But Test cricket is a different kettle of fish.

“It quite easily could have been one more series and back to South Australia. So I understood that, I was fine with that. If it was 25 Tests and done, at least I gave it a crack. Very pleased it worked that day, and very pleased with how consistent I’ve been at it. “Playing the style that I’ve played is not going to always come as consistently as I want it to be. But in the same breath I want to pride myself on my consistency, I want to pride myself on being able to go out and bat and my teammates knowing what they’re going to expect.” Loading Head said that one of the most satisfying things about the medal was that it demonstrated how he had managed to nail down spots in all three forms of the game. In the three formats over the past year, he thumped 1427 runs (more than 600 runs more than second-placed Steve Smith) at 43.24 with four centuries.

“It’s bloody tough doing it, with a young family as well,” he said. “But very pleased I’ve been able to get through being a multi-format player because it is something I wanted to do, and early in my career I wasn’t quite there yet. ”I don’t want to miss anything for Australia, so other things [in franchise cricket] will have to give way, and I just want to be as fresh as I can be to make sure I have the success or the consistency that I can do. Being away from family is the hardest part of the job for me,” he said. Head is the first South Australian to win the medal, and spoke warmly about forebears David Hookes, Darren Lehmann and Greg Blewett, who did not get to enjoy the level of longevity for Australia that he now has. “I think they were all way better players than me. I’m just in a fortunate era of Australian cricket. If you go through those names and compare them to some of the guys they played with ... the cards have just fallen the right way for me to be playing,” Head said.

“I’ve played 55 Tests now, Boof’s 27 I think and Blewey [46], they both probably should’ve played a lot more Test cricket. It wasn’t to be, but they were unbelievable players and to be spoken about in the same breath, Darren’s record especially, it’s nice.” Chloe Ainsworth and Sam Konstas were named the young cricketers of the year (for 2024) at the Allan Border Medal presentation. Credit: Getty/AP Sam Konstas, 19, was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year. The dashing opener became Australia’s fourth-youngest Test debutant, and an immediate cult hero, when he crunched 60 off just 65 balls in front of a packed MCG, and riled a frustrated Virat Kohli. His debut came after he scored 471 runs at 58.87 in five Sheffield Shield matches to start the season. “The pinnacle of my season was the Boxing Day Test and playing with and against the players that I idolised as a kid and winning that Test was significant given where the series was at 1-1,” Konstas said. West Australian Chloe Ainsworth, 19, was named the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year. Ainsworth, a fast bowling all-rounder, claimed 12 wickets at 18.58 with economy rate of just 5.86 in 10 Women’s Big Bash League matches, and was named player of the tournament.

Click here to read article