Ponting a certainty for medal, says Hayden

Matthew Hayden believes his world record score won't be enough to stop Ricky Ponting winning the Allan Border Medal next week. Hayden, the 2002 winner of Australia's highest cricketing honour, said, Ponting had done enough in both forms of the game to walk away with the award.

"I think Ricky's the foregone conclusion," said Hayden, who blasted a world record 380 in the first Test against Zimbabwe last year. "He's been the standout player through the summer, throughout the winter and throughout the last summer as well - in both forms of the game."

Ponting, who was last year's Test player of the year, scored 1503 runs at an average of 100.20 in 2003. He also struck three double-centuries to become the first player since Don Bradman to score three double tons in a single year.

Ponting was also Australia's leading run-scorer in one-dayers with 1154 runs including his World Cup-winning innings of 140 not out, making him a strong contender for the one-day player of the year - an award he picked up in 2002.

While there are individual awards for the Test and one-day player of the year, the overall award - the Allan Border Medal - is decided by votes earned in both forms of the game. No player has won both the Test and one-day award in the same year.

Past winners of the Allan Border Medal have been Glenn McGrath (2000), Steve Waugh (2001), Hayden (2002) and Adam Gilchrist (2003).