David Warner has edged Steve Smith to claim his third Allan Border Medal at the Australian Cricket Awards on Monday night.
In the closest vote count since 2009, Warner pipped Smith by one vote with last year’s winner Pat Cummins nine votes back in third.
Having previously won the prestigious honour in 2016 and 2017, the 33-year-old is now only behind Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke who are both four-time winners of the award.
Despite a poor Ashes series that yielded just 95 runs, a profile ICC Cricket World Cup and home summer against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand was enough for the opener to clinch the medal.
"I had an absolutely horrendous Ashes and generally, across the Test matches, that's where a lot of the votes are polled," Warner said.
"So I didn't think I was a chance for that (winning the Allan Border Medal). It was a shock and a surprise.”
Warner also won the T20I Player of the Year award while Marnus Labuschagne and Aaron Finch claimed the Test and ODI Player of the Year awards respectively.
Star all-rounder Ellyse Perry won her third Belinda Clark Medal as the best female cricketer with Alyssa Healy winning the Women’s ODI Player of the Year and the Women’s T20I Player of the Year.
See all the award winners below:
Men’s ODI Player of the Year: Aaron Finch
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Alyssa Healy
Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Tayla Vlaeminck
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Wes Agar
Men's Test Player of the Year: Marnus Labuschagne
Community Champion: Corinne Hall
Women’s Domestic Player of the Year: Molly Strano
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year: Shaun Marsh
Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Alyssa Healy
Men’s T20I Player of the Year: David Warner
Belinda Clark Medal: Ellyse Perry
Allan Border Medal: David Warner