There they are, the best players in Australian cricket for 2023.

Congratulations to Mitch Marsh, Ash Gardner and all the other winners.

And from, that's good night.

Ash Gardner confirms her status as possibly the best player in the world, while Mitch Marsh caps off his stunning comeback year with the top honour in men's cricket.

Here's how the AB Medal voting shook out...

1. 1.Mitch Marsh: 223
2. 2.Pat Cummins: 144
3. 3.Steve Smith: 141
4. 4.Mitch Starc: 135
5. 5.Travis Head: 134

Gardner's win was a little closer...

1. 1.Ashleigh Gardner: 147
2. 2.Ellyse Perry: 134
3. 3.Annabel Sutherland: 106
4. 4.Phoebe Litchfield: 83
5. 5.Alyssa Healy: 73

There are still Test, ODI and T20-specific awards to be handed out, and they'll be added to the story above once they're confirmed.

The player of the T20 World Cup is now a two-time winner of the Belinda Clark Award.

One of the most powerful batters in the game, Gardner has taken 56 wickets across the three formats in the voting window.

"Over the last 12 to 24 months my bowling has evolved a lot quicker than what I was thinking."

She took 12 wickets - 4-99 and 8-66 - in the standalone Ashes Test, winning player of the match in what was somehow her first game in the format.

"To my family, you know what you mean to me. You're always there. You come to every game.

"To my partner, Mon. You see the good days, you see the bad days, but it's people like you that make playing cricket a lot more enjoyable."

What a stunning result and moment and what a phenomenal comeback for this legend.

"I hope me winning this isn't like COVID and we look back in three years time and think 'that was a weird time'."

Out of the Test team for four years, Mitch Marsh earned his recall for the third Ashes Test in England and clattered 118 off 118 to keep Australia in the match. He's averaged 66 with the bat and helped himself to five wickets since then too.

His ODI contributions are truly remarkable, averaging almost 50 in the year, including two centuries in the World Cup, one of which was a match-winning 177* off 132 against Bangladesh.

And he technically averaged 186 in T20s too.

"I thought I was done and dusted," the usually jovial Marsh's voice is cracking.

"I often spoke to my wife that I just wanted to get one more crack at it, and it's been amazing."

Marsh credits wife Greta for helping him pull his head in and keeping him grounded.

"Every time I come home from cricket whether I get a duck or a hundred she's always the same."

Aaron Finch's wife is bawling as Marsh speaks about his family and the impact they've all had on him and his career.

"Mum, dad, Shaun and Melissa. I know how proud you'll be. This is a huge honour."

And to captain and good mate Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald.

"You believed in me. I can't thank you enough for believing in me," he says through tears.

"I'm a bit fat at times and I love a beer, but you see the best in me always. You've changed my life.

"Patty, for your support and your leadership, playing under you is an absolute dream."

That's one of the all-time great completely unprepared acceptance speeches ever. Just a humble, charismatic bloke speaking from the heart.

One more time for those in the cheap seats: Cah mahn, the Bison!

AB is on stage to present the award.

The former captain revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's earlier this year.

A reminder of the nominees for this award...

• Pat Cummins
• Mitch Marsh
• Steve Smith

The 26-year-old started the Ashleigh Gardner Foundation, which aims to provide breakfast to Indigenous kids going through food insecurity, making sure they get breakfast every day.

It's great seeing these efforts rewarded, but it does feel weird having it be crowned "the best" of a shortlist of other people and groups doing work in their communities.

This is a half-decent ceremony, but the in-between moments are still a bit awkward.

Even with charismatic presenters or players, some of the uber scripted or completely off-script moments feel pretty clunky.

But, in its defence, this ceremony is infinitely better than plenty of other sports awards shows I've watched.

A couple of all-time greats have retired this year.

Long-term Australia captains Meg Lanning and Aaron Finch, and three-format stars David Warner and Shaun Marsh.

Finch is on stage and the only one in the building.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to truly reflect on what I've achieved. From when I first started playing cricket, you just look at team success."

And the veteran of 254 games for Australia sums up the experience of being in a cricket team pretty well.

"There's days that are good and there's days that are bloody ordinary. You can still win when you're rubbish as an individual. There's days where you perform well and carry others and there's days where they carry you."

In the past nine years, since Mitchell Johnson won the award back in 2014, only four different players have won the top men's gong.

Steve Smith ('15, '18, '21, '23), David Warner ('16, '17, '20) Pat Cummins ('19) and Mitchell Starc ('22) have shared the awards, with Smith's tetralogy a record, tying him with Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, who shared the award in 2009.

It's been handed out since 2000, with out-and-out batters winning 16 times, bowlers five times, an all-rounder twice and a wicketkeeper/batter once.

• 2023: Steve Smith
• 2022: Mitchell Starc
• 2021: Steve Smith
• 2020: David Warner
• 2019: Pat Cummins
• 2018: Steve Smith
• 2017: David Warner
• 2016: David Warner
• 2015: Steve Smith
• 2014: Mitchell Johnson
• 2013: Michael Clarke
• 2012: Michael Clarke
• 2011: Shane Watson
• 2010: Shane Watson
• 2009: Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke
• 2008: Brett Lee
• 2007: Ricky Ponting
• 2006: Ricky Ponting
• 2005: Michael Clarke
• 2004: Ricky Ponting
• 2003: Adam Gilchrist
• 2002: Matthew Hayden
• 2001: Steve Waugh
• 2000: Glenn McGrath

Emma de Broughe of South Australia and the Melbourne Renegades wins the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year, and Fergus O'Neill is named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year.

De Broughe made 642 runs at 42.80, including her maiden century in the WNCL, and was a handy contributor for the Renegades with 89 runs at 22.25 including a highest score of 42.

Emma de Broughe knows the people who have gone before her.

"I've played with a few of the previous winners - Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham - who have been outstanding players themselves, and it's great to see where they are now," she said.

O'Neill, meanwhile, is a 22-year-old fast bowler for Victoria.

He took four wickets in his first-class debut, including the prized scalps of Test stars Alex Carey and Travis Head (twice).

He also picked up 10 wickets against South Australia at Adelaide Oval and was a handy contributor with the bat, scoring 322 runs at 29.27 with a top score of 70*.

Brett Lee, Shane Watson and David Warner are among the previous winners.

This one is voted by the tournament's umpires.

It's won by Matthew Short of the Adelaide Strikers.

He belted 541 runs at an average of 60 and a strike rate over 150.

Moving him to the top of the order was a nice move from Jason GIllespie.

Sydney Thunder star Chamari Athapaththu won the WBBL player of the season, but the Sri Lankan was awarded at the end of their season.

The recent across-the-board dominance by the Australian women's team has been reflected by the varied winners of the Belinda Clark Award in the past five years.

After just five players won in the first 11 years of the award, followed by Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry going back and forth from 2014 to 2018, the past five years has seen four winners, with only Beth Mooney doubling up.

• 2023: Beth Mooney
• 2022: Ash Gardner
• 2021: Beth Mooney
• 2020: Elyse Perry
• 2019: Alyssa Healy
• 2018: Ellyse Perry
• 2017: Meg Lanning
• 2016: Ellyse Perry
• 2015: Meg Lanning
• 2014: Meg Lanning
• 2013: Jess Cameron
• 2012: Shelley Nitschke
• 2011: Shelley Nitschke
• 2010: Shelley Nitschke
• 2009: Shelley Nitschke
• 2008: Lisa Sthalekar
• 2007: Lisa Sthalekar
• 2006: Karen Rolton
• 2005: Karen Rolton
• 2004: Cathryn Fitzpatrick
• 2003: Karen Rolton
• 2002: Karen Rolton

The finalists for the men's award are in...

• Pat Cummins - The captain, the best bowler in the world and the 2019 winner.
• Mitch Marsh - The BISON! The comeback kid that scored a ridiculous century on his recall in the third Ashes Test, averaging 66 in white clothes, plus two centuries in the World Cup.
• Steve Smith - Aiming to become the first five-time winner.

The three players in the running for the top women's award have been revealed...

• Ash Gardner - Player of the T20 World Cup and 12 wickets in the standalone Ashes Test. 
• Ellyse Perry - She's a three-time winner. It's Ellyse Perry for crying out loud.
• Annabel Sutherland - Emerging as a ready replacement for the greatest all-rounder Australian women's cricket has ever seen, and belted 137 not out at number eight in her first away Ashes Test

Ash Gardner was crowned the player of the T20 World Cup and is Ellyse Perry's tip for the Belinda Clark Award.

It would be the all-rounder's second in the past three years if she took it out.

One of these people is a Redwood, the other is built like one.

Beth Mooney was player of the match in the T20 World Cup final with a typically clutch 74* off 53, averaged just under 42 in both T20s and ODIs, and averaged a tick under 48 across four Test innings this year to boot.

At the behest of wife Rachel, Usman Khawaja has gone more understated with his clobber this year...

Esther Finch is has broken free of parents Aaron and Amy.

That looks like a pricey gown, but when it's the Australian cricket's equivalent of the Met Gala, you gotta go all out.

Australia captain Alyssa Healy and the latest member of Australia's Test 350-wicket club, Mitch Starc, are in the building.