Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke tie for the Border Medal

February 03, 2009

AUSTRALIA cricket's on-field leaders in captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Michael Clarke have scored the first tie in the Border Medal's 10-year history.

Ponting and Clarke polled 41 apiece under the Medal's complicated formula, which covered 12 Test and 17 international one-dayers over the last 12 months.

The history-making tie comes at a time when the national team is facing its biggest challenge since the mid-1980s.

It is Ponting's fourth Border Medal and Clarke's second - Ponting won in 2004, '06 and '07, while Clarke took it out in '05 and paceman Brett Lee was the winner last year.

Left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson has enjoyed a breakthrough year and he was the popular tip to win the medal.

But Johnson could only manage equal fourth on 30 points with opening batsman Simon Katich, while Michael Hussey was outright third on 38.

The gala function was the first time that the Border Medal was not a night of triumph and celebration for Australian cricket.

The one-day team has lost its No.1 status and Australia also lost Test series to India and South Africa in the last 12 months.

Ponting is the Test and one-day captain and Clarke is his deputy in the two disciplines.

Ponting has come under considerable pressure as the Australians have lost their dominance.

Most recently, he strongly defended the selectors' decision this week to rest him for the next two one-dayers against New Zealand.

Ponting's Medal votes were broken up into 22 from his team-mates and 19 from a combined media and umpires tally.

Clarke's votes were 21 and 20.

Under the Border Medal formula, the Test match votes were given more weight to compensate for the greater number of one-dayers that were played.

While there are countbacks for the Test and one-day player awards, there is no countback for the Medal.

Clarke played in a total of 25 Tests and one-dayers, scoring 1228 runs at an average of 39.61 with four centuries and five 50s.

Ponting played in 24 matches, scoring 1283 at 37.74 with three 100s and eight half-centuries.

"Obviously I'm very honoured to receive the Allan Border Medal and even more honoured to be standing beside my captain,'' Clarke said in accepting the award.

Ponting was amazed to win the award again and hit back at talk that the Australian team was in decline.

"This is an amazing shock to me ... (I was) just waiting for either 'Pup' or Mitch to get up here tonight and accept the award,'' he said.

"As we all know it's been an up-and-down year for the team and everybody right at the moment is writing us off.

"But I know deep down in my heart that we're not very far away at all and I think our results would even prove that over the last couple of months.

"It's been am amazing time with some of our greats leaving the team, some obviously very exciting and young players coming into the team.

"It's an amazing challenge for me and certainly Michael to keep leading this team in the right direction.''