Travis Head is Australian cricket’s Allan Border Medallist and Annabel Sutherland has won the Belinda Clark award as the top woman in a surprise result. It was the first time either player had won Australian cricket’s highest individual honours. While Head was a favourite for the top men’s prize, also claiming the one-day international player award in Monday night’s ceremony in Melbourne, Sutherland was third in the one-day voting and a distant sixth for the women’s T20 international award.

But she was awarded top votes for the two Tests played by the Australian women in the voting period over the past 12 months, most recently scoring 163 at the MCG as the hosts capped their Ashes whitewash. In doing so the daughter of former Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland and sister of Victorian star Will Sutherland became the first woman to score a Test ton at the MCG. In February last year, Sutherland scored 210 in the Test against South Africa at the WACA.

The extra weighting for the Test votes proved the difference for Sutherland. It is the first time she has won any of the top women’s categories – the Belinda Clark award, the one-day international or the T20 international player. Head was a clear winner of the Border Medal and is the first South Australian to claim the award. He also won the one-day category for the first time. Head polled 208 votes for the Border Medal, well clear of Josh Hazlewood on 158and Australian Test captain Pat Cummins on 147.

Sutherland polled 168 to win ahead of Ashleigh Gardner, who won the Belinda Clark award last year. Gardner polled 143 and Beth Mooney was third on 115, with Gardner and Mooney two-time winners. While none of the top men’s winners were at the ceremony due mostly to the current tour of Sri Lanka, the women were celebrating in the room after they dominated the Ashes series. There appeared to be a drinking game among the Australian women, with “whitewash” the key word.

Adam Zampa and Mooney were named the top T20 international players, while Gardner took out the women’s one-day category and Hazlewood the men’s Test honour. Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen were named the players of the WBBL tournament and, likewise, Cooper Connolly and Glenn Maxwell took out the BBL award. Head also took out the one-day international category, again for the first time. Earlier on Monday, Boxing Day Test sensation Sam Konstas was named the Bradman young men’s cricketer of the year.

West Australian Chloe Ainsworth won the Betty Wilson award for the top young women’s cricketer, while Beau Webster and Georgia Voll took the domestic awards. Head is coming off a bumper 12 months across all three formats and had been tipped by stand-in captain Steve Smith to win the men’s award. The 31-year-old scored a staggering 1,427 runs across all three formats in the 12-month polling period that began with Australia’s home Test series against West Indies last January, and ended with the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy.