Hayden favourite for award

Matthew Hayden is the hot favourite to win the Allan Border Medal for Australian cricketer of the year tonight.

Hayden is a certainty to be named the Test Player of the Year at the gala awards ceremony in Melbourne and is also expected to take the overall Border Medal, based on his one-day international contributions in India.

During the voting period, which runs from the start of the Indian tour to the recently completed one-day series, Hayden scored 1,509 Test runs at an average of 71.85 to be far and away the best batsman of the past 12 months.

The one-day award has been thrown open by Glenn McGrath being ruled ineligible because of his one-match suspension for dissent during the recent tri-series.

Contenders include Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, match-winner Michael Bevan and this summer's leading run-getter Ricky Ponting.

Other awards on offer are the young player of the year, which should fall to Tasmania's Shane Watson.

Darren Lehmann looks set to win his third straight state player of the year award.

The awards are decided by votes cast by players, media and umpires and are weighted to make one-day and Test performances count equally in deciding the Border Medal winner.