Travis Head wins the Allan Border Medal in Brisbane

August 7, 2026 — 8:40pm

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Travis Head belatedly claimed back-to-back Allan Border Medals at a low-key function that highlighted how Australian cricket’s night of nights has faded into the fringes.

When Glenn McGrath won the inaugural prize in 2000, the ceremony was hosted by Eddie McGuire and broadcast in prime time on Channel Nine (now the owner of this masthead).

On Friday night, Head was presented with his second medal at a team function in Brisbane not broadcast by the networks, in contrast to the grand aspiration cricket authorities held at the turn of the century for the night to rival the glitz and glamour of the AFL’s Brownlow Medal.

Named after one of this country’s most cherished players, the award is supposedly the most prestigious individual accolade in Australian men’s cricket but has for the second year in a row been conferred in a setting belying its stated importance.

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Head last year was presented his first Allan Border Medal, not by the revered former captain as had been the norm in the first 25 years of its history, but by national coach Andrew McDonald at a presentation in the team hotel during the Test tour of Sri Lanka.

The winner of the medal has traditionally been announced at the Australian Cricket Awards night, usually held in late January or early February, but there was no gala event this year due to a crowded calendar. The national men’s team was on duty at the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, while Australia’s leading female players were playing in the Women’s Premier League in India.

CA is yet to finalise the date for the upcoming season’s awards but are looking at a night in March after the men’s Test tour of India and the inaugural women’s Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.

Head’s status as an all-format player was instrumental in him holding off state teammate Alex Carey by one vote, while pace ace Mitchell Starc finished third.

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The hard-hitting left-hander, with 30 games, played the most matches for Australia during the voting period, which started more than 18 months ago on January 29, 2025 and went to January 24, 2026.

Head’s total was six more than Carey and more than double that of the 14 played by Starc – who has retired from T20 internationals and, as a fast bowler, has his workload carefully monitored.

Head’s signature performance came in the first Ashes Test in Perth when he hammered a whirlwind century to stun England. He has become just the sixth player to win multiple Border medals, joining former captains Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith, as well as David Warner and Shane Watson.

Ashes player of the series winner Starc claimed the Test player of the year award, named after the late leg-spin great Shane Warne, who, ironically, was one of the fast bowler’s strongest critics.

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Popular all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was voted the one-day international player of the year while T20 specialist Tim David claimed the award for the shortest format.

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Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Age.Connect via X or email.

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