David Warner and Jeff Thomson stole the show on Allan Border Medal night

ALLAN Border Medal night had two standouts; David Warner and Jeffrey Robert Thomson, writes Australian cricket great Ian Chappell.

THE Allan Border Medal night had two standouts; David Warner the fast-scoring batsman who won the top award and Jeffrey Robert Thomson, the former express bowler, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

If it was football season, Thomson would’ve been unanimously voted Best on Ground.

Thommo - or ‘Two Up’ to his mates after the infamous Sydney Swy school of the same name - was disarmingly funny, as he accepted the honour in his inimitable “speak your mind” style.

After listening to Thommo and Warner accept their awards, it seemed these two epitomise the evolution from the game cricket used to be, to the business oriented enterprise it is today.

Thomson’s admission that he “couldn’t play cricket all year round” highlighted the difference between the two but he and Warner also have their similarities.

Both Warner and Thomson are born on-field entertainers. Warner enthuses with his ability to demolish attacks through a combination of powerful blows and exquisite shots. For his part, Thomson had fans on the edge of their seat in the expectation his fiery pace and lethal deliveries would bring a wicket or at the very least, extreme discomfort to the batsman.

Thommo certainly spread mayhem; there was the litany of broken bones and some batsmen even thought he was a mad man out to seriously injure opponents. Understandable, given his quote on the eve of his first Test against England; “I’d rather see a batsman’s blood on the pitch than his stumps lying on the ground.”

As if to underline the quote, he delivered a bouncer in the second Test at the WACA that easily cleared keeper Rod Marsh’s valiant leap. The batsman, Keith Fletcher, made the mistake of watching as the ball half-volleyed the sightboard; unsurprisingly the blood drained from his face.

Jeff Thomson arrives at the Allan Border Medal with his family.

This, and other thunderbolts that Thommo unleashed, were delivered with an action he aptly described in his laconic Australian twang; “Ah mate, I just shuffle up and go wang.”

The fact that before he seriously damaged his shoulder in late 1976 he did just shuffle rather than run up to deliver, prompted Marsh to reply to a question; “I don’t know if he’s the quickest ever but I can tell you, he’s the fastest into the wind bowler of all time.”

It was only after retirement that opposing batsmen discovered Thommo was a good natured bloke and his effing and blinding on the field was aimed at himself. When he wasn’t happy with a delivery, he admonished himself in uniquely colourful terms that you wouldn’t use on your worst enemy.

In his acceptance speech, Warner explained how he’s keeping his on-field comments to a minimum of late. He doesn’t need words; his bat sends out a resounding message.

Allan Border Medallist David Warner with Alan Border. Picture: Mike Keating.

He’s been demoralising new ball bowlers since he burst onto the Twenty20 scene by thrashing a South African pace attack that included Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis.

Many thought this was his format but Warner was always a batsman and he’s proved it by becoming a more prolific Test player than short form cricketer. So much so, that he also won the Test Cricketer of the Year award and is now resting from the T20 series against India in order to prepare for the upcoming ODI’s and Tests in New Zealand.

In accepting his award, Warner was guarded, as is the habit of modern sportsmen, wary of the 24-hour news cycle. Thomson on the other hand, who thinks politically correct is simply an MP signing his name after taking the oath, was at his free-wheeling best.

Warner is extroverted on the field but looked self-conscious when accepting the plaudits after winning the medal. Thomson is the same wherever you see him - he bowled at 160kmh and everything he does in life is at full tilt.

Both men concluded their speech in an emotional state when thanking both wife and family. Which only goes to prove, even the most aggressive players can be softies off the field and behind every successful man is the comforting presence of a strong-minded woman.

Originally published as David Warner and Jeff Thomson stole the show on Allan Border Medal night