Virat Kohli No.1 batsman in ICC's T20I rankings, replaces Aaron Finch

After a dream tour of Australia, Virat Kohli stormed to the top of the ICC rankings for batsmen in Twenty20 Internationals .

The Indian star replaced Australian T20 skipper Aaron Finch after amassing 199 runs from three matches with scores of 90*, 59* and 50 in the T20I series where India defeated the Aussies 3-0. Kohli was named man-of-the-series for his efforts.

Kohli was in top form right through India's three-week tour of Australia and smashed 381 runs in the five-match ODI series against Australia. Consequently, he held on to his No.2 spot in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen.

Kohli now has 892 points while Finch has 868. England's Alex Hales is third with 795 points.
India's Suresh Raina moved up three places to 13th, while opener Rohit Sharma also moved up four places to 16th, after their impressive form in the series. Yuvraj Singh claimed the 20th position.

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who scored an unbeaten 124 in the third T20 against India, moved up five places to 12th.
 Australia's left-handed opener David Warner dropped six spots to 18th.

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine, who is currently banned by the ICC due to an illegal bowling action, retained top spot in the bowling rankings with 773 points, ahead of fellow Windies slow bowler Samuel Badree (751). India's off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was third with 692 points. Left-armer spinner Ravindra Jadeja was 18th.

India had a miserable time in Ausrtralia, leading up to Canberra, losing four successive ODIs. However, the tables turned in Sydney last Saturday when Manish Pandey's maiden international hundred helped India claim a face-saving win. With new reinforcements, India regained momentum and whitewashed Australia in the T20 series in front of paced stands in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.


By the end of the series, India moved to No. in the ICC rankings for teams in T20 Internationals. They also occupy the top spot in the Test rankings and are placed second the ICC's ODI rankings. 

Australian Cricket Awards - Allan Border Medal ceremony

ODI Player of the Year: Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has narrowly won the first award of the 2016 Allan Border Medal night, beating out Mitchell Starc to claim the One Day International Player of the Year award.

He finished with 28 votes across the 20-match polling window, three clear of World Cup Player of the Tournament Starc and a further two votes ahead of surprise third-place getter Mitchell Marsh.

Steve Smith polled 21 votes and Warner received 20.

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Alex Ross

West End Redbacks and Adelaide Strikers 23-year-old young gun Alex Ross has been rewarded for a breakthrough 12 months in all formats.

It's been a remarkable 12 months for Ross, who tallied 31.86 per cent of the votes to beat Strikers teammate Travis Dean (24.24 per cent) and recent one-day international debutant Joel Paris (21.24 per cent), as voted by his peers.

He was presented with his award by former Australia captain Bill Lawry.

Awarded to the best player under 24 in Australian cricket (to have played less than 10 first-class matches at the start of the voting period), winning this award has been a precursor to many a successful career. Past winners include the likes of Brett Lee, Shane Watson and David Warner.

Belinda Clark Award - Women Cricketer of the Year : Ellyse Perry

    

Ellyse Perry was named the top women's international player of the year at Wednesday night's Allan Border Medal Evening, the first time she has won the prized award, ending Australian captain Meg Lanning's two-year streak.

Her commitment to improvement was never more evident than during the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars' Ashes campaign last year, where over the course of the seven-match multi-format series Perry scored 264 runs at an average of 33 and took 16 wickets at 13.43 – more than anyone else in either discipline.

Her performances played a key role in the Southern Star's first Ashes win on British soil since 2001, and combined with a strong three-match Twenty20 series against Ireland, she was a clear standout during the voting period, capturing 33 votes to finish ahead of Lanning (20 votes) and pace bowler Rene Farrell (15 votes).

Domestic Player of the Year: Adam Voges

   

It's been quite the 12 months for Western Australian Adam Voges, whose ascension to Australia's Test team had roots in a record-breaking Sheffield Shield season last summer, which was duly recognised tonight when he was named Domestic Player of the Year.

The fact that Voges was voted by his peers as the best state player of 2015 underlines just how dominant he has been for the Warriors and Scorchers.

His promotion to the Test side meant he’s missed most of the current domestic season due to international duty, yet he still did enough to win 32.41 per cent of the vote, ahead of WA teammate and fellow veteran Michael Klinger (30.56 per cent).

South Australia's Callum Ferguson was third placed with 12.04 per cent of the votes from peers.

Voges was the fourth-highest run-scorer across Sheffield Shield, Matador Cup and BBL cricket during the voting period with 1,232 runs, behind Klinger (1,568), Ferguson (1,316) and Tasmania's Ben Dunk (1,245).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Hall of Fame: Jeff Thomson and Wally Grout

 

Legendary Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson and wicketkeeper Wally Grout were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Allan Border Medal.

Thomson's speech brought the house down, a classic hark back to a bygone error with language as blue as the bruises he left on opposition bowlers.

                                                                                                                  

Test Player of the Year: David Warner 

                                           

Perhaps a surprise selection ahead of Australia's captain Steve Smith, but Warner has got the nod and with it has leapt to favouritism to win his first Allan Border Medal.

Warner score 1,212 Test match runs in the voting period at 55.09, with a highest score of 253 coming against New Zealand at the WACA. And he did it all with a strike rate of 81.34.

Warner polled six more than Smith with 30 votes – even though the Test skipper scored three man of the match awards in the voting period to his deputy’s two. Mitchell Starc was placed third with 18 votes.

David Warner is the 2016 Allan Border Medal, a surprise winner ahead of captain Steve Smith.    

Kane's maiden Fifer and India's spectacular collapse - Aussies thrash 'duck' Dhoni's India for the fourth consecutive time

Paceman Kane Richardson claimed his maiden five-wicket haul to script India’s spectacular collapse and bowl Australia to a 25-run victory in the high-scoring fourth One-day international on Wednesday.

Three batsmen struck centuries in the 671-run match between the world’s top two one-day teams but it was Richardson’s (5-68) incisive bowling that clinched the contest, while also earning him the man-of-the-match award.

Chasing 349 for victory, India were cruising at 277 for one before losing their last nine wickets for 46 runs to succumb to their fourth successive defeat in the five-match series.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (126) and Virat Kohli (106) featured in a 212-run stand for the visitors before the wheels came off India’s chase at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.

Dhawan registered his ninth ODI century and Kohli scored his second consecutive hundred but India lost three wickets in 11 balls for the addition of one run that derailed them.

For them, in-form Ajinkya Rahane came out to bat despite a split webbing of his fingers, but could score only two as India were all out for 323 in the final over.

India captain MS Dhoni took the burden of responsibility for a traumatic defeat, admitting it was his wicket so soon on the heels of Dhawan’s departure that changed the complexion of the match.

“I think it was my wicket because that specifically is my role in the team from that kind of position to make sure we finish off the game well,” Dhoni said. “So my wicket really was the turning point at that point of time, we lost quite a few there but it was my wicket because according to the role and responsibility that everybody has, that specifically is my role.

“That’s what pressure does to you. A few of them have not played much international cricket, so at times it seems when you’re batting in the middle playing that big shot is the right thing to do, but slowly and with more games under your belt you realise that’s a time you have to carry on some kind of a partnership, and once you get used to the pace and bounce of the wicket then you can play the big shots.

“Hopefully they will learn out of this, it’s the first few games they’ve played and maybe it’s the first time in their career that they were under some kind of pressure. Hopefully they’re learning,” Dhoni said.

Earlier, Aaron Finch struck his seventh hundred in a blistering opening partnership of 187 with David Warner to power Australia to 348 for eight wickets.

Finch smashed a run-a-ball 107 while Warner fell on 93 from 92 deliveries as the hosts continued to make merry against India’s toothless bowling attack after opting to bat first.

Australia had chased down each Indian target to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series and the tourists’ battered bowlers did little better after finally getting the chance to bowl first.

Warner, who missed the last two matches due to the birth of his second child, started off with a maiden against Umesh Yadav but soon hit his stride with three fours in an over against seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Yadav also conceded three boundaries in the next over against the diminutive left-hander as Australia raced to 50 in the seventh over.

Finch was equally destructive and a fierce straight drive from the right-hander off fast bowler Ishant Sharma (4-77) hit umpire Richard Kettleborough on the shin, forcing the official off the field.

Finch mistimed a pull to be dismissed eight overs after Warner had played Ishant on to his stumps.

Australia captain Steven Smith (51) and all-rounders Mitchell Marsh (33) and Glenn Maxwell (41) chipped in with some quick runs. Sydney hosts the fifth and final one-dayer on Saturday.

Australia wins 4th ODI by 25 runs, leads India 4-0

Kane Richardson took five wickets, including four in his last four overs, as Australia held on to beat India by 25 runs on Wednesday and extend its lead to 4-0 with one match remaining in the limited-overs international series.

Aaron Finch made 107 and David Warner returned from paternity leave to score 93 as Australia posted a total of 348-8 after winning the toss and batting.

India was coasting at 277-1 in reply in the 38th over but lost its last nine wickets for 46 runs, with Richardson taking 4-16 in a match-turning spell and returning 5-68 for the innings.

Shikhar Dhawan scored 126 and Virat Kohli added 106, the pair sharing a 212-run partnership for the second wicket and seemingly setting India on course for a victory, until the dramatic late collapse ended with the visitors all out for 323 in 49.2 overs.

The pattern of the series changed slightly on Wednesday; India batted first in each of the first three matches and lost.

Finch reached his seventh ODI century from 97 balls. It was his first against India and his second at Manuka Oval in the Australian capital.

Warner was the main aggressor in a blazing beginning by the Australian openers who rushed to 40-0 after five overs.

Warner was out in the 30th over when he chopped a ball from Ishant Sharma onto his middle stump.

Finch was out when Australia was 221-2 in the 38th over after he and Mitchell Marsh had added only 34 runs in 8.4 overs. The opener reached 100 with a single from his 97th delivery, two years after his first century at Manuka Oval against South Africa.

Finch was finally caught off Umesh Yadav, skying a pull shot to Ishant Sharma at mid-on.

Finch's power-hitting claimed one notable casualty. In the 17th over, his straight drive hit English umpire Richard Kettleborough on the right leg and Kettleborough was forced to retire from the match. He was replaced by Australia's Paul Wilson.

Steve Smith hit the ball powerfully from the outset and reached his 50 from 27 balls.

The Australians lost 5-37 to lose momentum before Glenn Maxwell hit 41 from 20 balls with six fours and a six, falling to the last ball of the innings.

The fifth match will be played in Sydney on Saturday.