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Steve Smith could match the feat of Sutherland teammate Shane Watson and become just the fourth player to win the Allan Border Medal two years in a row tonight.
Australian cricket’s highest individual honour will be awarded for the 17th time in Melbourne with Smith likely to be acknowledged for another sterling season.
The 26-year-old was Australia’s highest run scorer in Test and one-day cricket last year.
Former captain Michael Clarke was the last player to win the medal two years running (2012-13), with Watson (2010-11) and Ricky Ponting (2006-07) also achieving the feat.
Smith scored 2,181 runs across Test, one-day and Twenty20 cricket including seven centuries and 10 half-centuries last year.
The Illawong-Menai junior ended the year as the world’s number one batsman after taking over the Test captaincy from Clarke and led the one-day team to a World Cup triumph on home soil.
As well as the Allan Border Medal, Smith also won the Test and one-day player of the year awards last year, a feat he is a chance of repeating.
St George quick Josh Hazlewood is a chance of winning the Test player of the year award after taking 48 wickets at 22.83 and featuring in every Test of Australia’s home summer.
