Melbourne: Wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist was named the winner of the Allan Border Medal as Australian Cricketer-of-the-Year on Tuesday.The Test and One-day vice-captain polled a total of 88 votes to beat One-day skipper Ricky Ponting (84) and leg spinner Shane Warne (79)."The award was a surprise, it's amazing, I really didn't expect it," said Gilchrist, who also won the One-day International player-of-the-year award. "So many guys had great years, Matty Hayden had a standout year, probably a better year even than last season when he won the award. So I think all of us were banking that he was going to be the man." The previous Border Medal winners were Hayden (2002), Steve Waugh and Glenn McGrath (2000). The voting for the awards began on the tour of South Africa from February-April last year and finished with the One-day triangular series finals against England last weekend.Votes were cast by the players, umpires, match referees and media representatives on a 3-2-1 basis for each game, with an extra weighting given to the 11 Tests over the 27 One-day Internationals. Test captain-in-waiting Ponting (13 votes) was a narrow winner of the Test Player-of-the-Year ahead of Warne (12) and Gilchrist (10). Warne's chances were hampered by his missing the last two of the 11 Tests in the voting period with a dislocated shoulder.Gilchrist also won the One-day International Player-of-the-Year with 18 votes, one ahead of Hayden and Brett Lee. He made 751 runs with two centuries at an average of 32.65 and a strike rate of 95.79.Gilchrist also took 40 catches and made five stumpings. But Gilchrist's Test average of 77.33 this season was the best in a team where Ponting and Hayden also averaged more than 60.Other award winners were Martin Love (State Player-of-the-Year), Nathan Hauritz (Bradman Young-Cricketer-of-the-Year) and Karen Rolton (Women's Cricketer-of-the-Year).Former Test captains Lindsay Hassett and Ian Chappell were inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.

Copyright AFP 2001

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Aussies will re-assess Zimbabwe issue, says Gilchrist
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