Ash Gardner holds out Ellyse Perry to win Belinda Clark Award

After earning a record $556,000 WPL payday last year Ash Gardner has been recognised as Australia’s best player over he past 12 months.

Star all-rounder Ash Gardner defied an white-ball push from gun veteran Ellyse Perry to secure a second Belinda Clark award as the best all-format Australian player over the past 12 months.

It’s the second-time in the past three years Gardner has won the award in a narrow victory over Perry who won both the ODI and T20 player of the year gongs at the Cricket Australia awards in Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Gardner, who secured a record $556,00 payday in the inaugural auction for the Women’s Premier League in India last year as recognition of her star qualities, captured 147 votes, to win by 13 from Perry (134) and young gun Annabel Sutherland (106) coming third.

During 12-month period in which Australia won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, retained the Ashes and won ODI and T20I series in India, Gardner starred while also being champion of Indigenous culture and outspoken around playing cricket on January 26.

We see Ash Gardner the cricketer, but Ash Gardner the community leader is just as inspirational. #AusCricketAwardspic.twitter.com/f5qnayTkbe

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) January 31, 2024

Her 12 wicket haul against England in the one-of Test at Trent Bridge, including matchwinning figures of 8-66 in the second innings, was a standout performance and one which ultimately elevated her above her teammates, with voting graded-up for Tests.

She was named in both the ICC ODI and T20I Teams of the Year, scoring 499 runs at 24.94 with a top score of 65 and took 56 wickets at 19.39 with best figures of 8-66 across all formats, and was player of the tournament in Australia’s World Cup triumph.

Despite missing out on the main award, the achievements of 33-year-0old Perry were even more remarkable.

She too was named in the ICC ODI and T20 teams and secured the Australian awards in the same formats for the first time.

Ellyse Perry had an enormous 12 months . (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Showing zero signs that the abilities of a player who made her international debut as a 17-year-old in 2007 were on the decline in any way, Perry scored 466 ODI runs at 66.57 and 390 T20 runs at 43.33.

Perry managed to outdo batting phenom Phoebe Litchfield in voting for the ODI, with the 20-year-old tyro having made a brilliant start to her international career, scoring her first century against Ireland in July and finished the year with a record-breaking series against India which saw her score 78, 63 and 119.

Litchfield and Sutherland, were the only Australians to score a century in any format during the voting period, both scoring two, while Perry made 99 in the Test against England in Nottingham.

CRICKET AUSTRALIA AWARDS

Belinda Clark Award – Ashleigh Gardner (147 votes)

2nd: Ellyse Perry (134 votes)

3rd: Annabel Sutherland (106)

Women’s ODI Player of the Year – Ellyse Perry

Women’s T20I Player of the Year – Ellyse Perry