03 January 2004	Saturday	10 Ziqa'ad 1424

SYDNEY, Jan 2: Ricky Ponting on Friday was awarded the McGilvray Medal as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) Test cricketer of 2003.

Ponting had a stellar year accumulating 1,503 runs at 100.20, the best in Test cricket, including six centuries, three of them double-centuries.

He joined the legendary Don Bradman as the only players in Test cricket to score three double-centuries in a calendar year.

Ponting, who will take over as captain when Steve Waugh retires after the current Sydney Test, also broke teammate Matthew Hayden's Australian record of 1,391 runs accumulated in 2001. -AFP