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Sean Abbott honoured with Bradman award

NSW allrounder caps best and worst year of his career with peer vote for Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year

Predictions that a prosperous cricket future await all-rounder Sean Abbott have moved nearer to fruition with the 22-year-old named as the 2015 Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year at tonight's Allan Border Medal presentation in Sydney.

Abbott, who made his senior Australian debut in last October's ODI Series against Pakistan in the UAE, was not at the event to receive his award as he is preparing for tomorrow's KFC T20 Big Bash League Final in Canberra with the Sydney Sixers.

But the big-hitting, wicket-taking allrounder capped the best and worst year of his career to date by earning the vote of 42 per cent of his playing peers, to emerge a convincing winner.

His NSW teammate Gurinder Sandhu earned 15 per cent and Victoria batsman Marcus Stoinis gained 14 per cent.

To be eligible for the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year, players must be aged 24 years or under and not played more than 10 first-class games at the commencement of the voting period (January 1, 2014).

Abbott had earlier announced himself as a player of the future during last summer's domestic 50-over competition when he was the leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets at less than 21 runs apiece.

He also dispelled any suggestions that he was a "white-ball specialist" when he played an integral part in the NSW Blues Bupa Sheffield Shield triumph last summer, with his 27 wickets earning him the Steve Waugh Medal as New South Wales' player of the season.

While he has yet to make a splash in his single ODI and handful of T20 internationals he has played, the expectation that surrounds the strongly built lad from Windsor in Sydney's outer west will only heighten with this latest honour.

"I feel privileged to receive such an award, especially after a couple of good seasons in a row on the field and some tough off seasons pushing myself to continually improve," Abbott said upon learning of his award.

"I feel that this is a reward for a lot of good work and finally putting some consistent good performances together.

"I am looking to improve my cricket every day and to keep putting good performances on the board for the NSW Blues and the Sydney Sixers and if I continue to perform consistently well, hopefully contribute to the Australian cricket team down the track."

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Abbott made his T20 debut in October // Getty Images

Abbott, who many believe only missed out on a place in Australia's 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup due to the surfeit of quality pace bowlers and all-rounders at present, joins a select group of players to have won the award since it was introduced in 2000.

They include Abbott's Sydney Sixers teammate Brett Lee, fellow all-rounder Shane Watson, his New South Wales teammate David Warner and Australia's most recent Test player Joe Burns.

But perhaps most poignantly of all, in addition to carrying the name of the game's most successful Test batsman it's an honour he now shares with the 2009 recipient – Phillip Hughes.

Abbott was the unfortunate bowler when Hughes was tragically and lucklessly felled during a Shield match between NSW and South Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground last November.

The cricket and broader community rallied strongly around the understandably traumatised allrounder in the aftermath of that sadness, and it is a testament to Abbott's character that he has since returned to play with great focus and effect for both NSW and the Sixers.

"I am thankful for the support of the Australian cricket family and wider community, as well as my own family, close friends and team mates, and especially my girlfriend Brier," he said today.

The fact that he now becomes the 16th player to be named a Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year speaks even more volubly as to his ability.