Steven Smith collects Allan Border medal

Sydney, Jan 27 (IANS) Australian Test captain Steven Smith Tuesday collected his first Allan Border medal for being the country's Cricketer of the Year here Tuesday. The 25-year-old also completed a rare hat-trick of awards which included the One-Day International and Test Player of the Year that is a true testament of his ascendancy. He polled a total of 243 votes to win the medal edging past the likes of opener David Warner (175) and pacer Mitchell Johnson (126). I've just really enjoyed the last 12 to 18 months," Smith was quoted as saying by the Cricket Australia website. "And seeing some of those highlights, particularly the South Africa to win over here and beat the number one Test team in the world in their own backyard was amazing," he added. The votes were casted by fellow players, media representatives and umpires and the cumulative amount was taken into account. Smith has scored 2,304 runs from 26 Test matches at an average of 52.36.