3 minute read
Steve Smith's remarkable Ashes tour was the highlight of a busy year of international cricket for Australia's men's cricket team.
ALLAN BORDER MEDAL VOTING PERIOD
* ODI series against India (Jan)
Jhye Richardson starred in an upset series-opening win at the SCG before India triumphed in Adelaide and Melbourne. Shaun Marsh was the leading run scorer of the series with 224 at 74.66..
* Test series against Sri Lanka (Jan-Feb)
Pat Cummins collected the man-of-the-series award after piloting Australia to two comfortable wins. Cummins snared 6-23 in the second innings at the Gabba and overall figures of 10-62 in that first Test, both career-best hauls.
* Limited-overs tour of India (Feb-March)
Australia shocked the hosts winning both Twenty20s then bouncing back from two losses to prevail 3-2 in the ODI series. Usman Khawaja outgunned teammates and even Virat Kohli to be named man of the ODI series, while Cummins was the leading wicket-taker.
* ODI tour of the UAE (March)
Australia smashed Pakistan 5-0 in the final World Cup selection trial before Steve Smith and David Warner returned. Captain Aaron Finch scored 451 runs at 112.75, describing it as his most consistent series ever.
* World Cup (June-July)
Warner finished one run short of being the overall leading run-scorer, while Mitchell Starc's tournament-best 27 scalps broke Glenn McGrath's record for the most wickets in a World Cup. Australia lost their semi-final against hosts England.
* The Ashes (Aug-Sept)
This was Smith's Ashes, starting with two centuries in the first Test and ending with 774 runs despite a frightening bouncer blow to the neck that restricted him to seven innings. Cummins was the leading wicket-taker of the series, which ended in a 2-2 draw as Australia retained the urn.
* T20 series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan (Oct-Nov)
Australia were undefeated in six T20s, a key part of their preparation for this year's World Cup on home soil. Warner walloped 287 runs in total, while Cummins, Starc and Kane Richardson starred with the ball.
* Home Test summer against Pakistan, New Zealand (Nov-Jan)
Australia won all five Tests inside four days, an unprecedented feat that was bookended by Marnus Labuschagne milestones in which he posted his maiden Test century in Brisbane then first double-ton at the SCG, while Warner's unbeaten Adelaide Oval 335 was another highlight.
