Cricket Australia axe controversial voting system

Doug Bracewell turned the match with a brilliant bowling performance in the fourth innings. Photo / Getty Images

Cricket Australia have decided to axe their controversial man-of-the-match voting system after David Warner took the honours in his side's second test loss to New Zealand ahead of Doug Bracewell.

The award for best player during the two test series was decided by the public who could vote by mobile phone in Australia. Warner received 60 per cent of the vote - Bracewell just 25 per cent. A panel of experts normally picks the most valuable player.

Bracewell's 6-40 in the second innings set up the seven run win for New Zealand, and gave him match figures of 9-60.

Instead of Bracewell collecting the honour, it went to Australia's David Warner who scored an unbeaten 123 in the second innings.

CA chief executive James Sutherland told an Australian radio station today that expert's would make the man-of-the-match decisions for Australia's upcoming series against India which begins on Boxing Day, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"We were always running a bit of a trial for these two Tests with those man of the match awards but we will definitely revert back to an expert's choice for that decision about man of the match," Sutherland told Radio 3AW.

"We will still run what the fans think, it has worked really well with the (viewers' choice) application and the television. I think it's something really ahead of its time and I'm sure we'll see it in other sports as well in the future."

The Black Caps admit the snubbing of Bracewell for award in Hobart has gotten up their noses.

Assistant coach Trent Woodhill says the decision was a joke.

"It's embarrassing. David Warner had a fantastic innings. He batted all the way through the innings," he told Radiosport.

"Doug Bracewell was the player of that match. He took nine wickets for 60, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have won the match. To me that's who the player of the match should be."

Woodhill says to have a system where only the Australian public can vote on who gets the award is simply wrong.

After the match former Black Caps Iain O'Brien and Andre Adams took to Twitter to voice their frustrations.

"MOM to the losing side ... makes sense. I suppose Doug's spell of 6-26 off 9 didn't have any impact," wrote Adams.

O'Brien added: "A ton in a losing side vs a 6fa in a winning side ... Ummmmm. Sure runs were tough, but that's just ridiculous."

Meanwhile Woodhill says there's no way Brendon McCullum can take the gloves in test cricket.

In the wake of incumbent Reece Young's failures with the bat in Australia, there have been calls for McCullum to take back the wicket keeping duties to allow for another batsmen in the side.

Woodhill says McCullum's knees aren't up to keeping wicket for days at a time and he'd be sacrificing his own batting if he were to try.

Woodhill's confident that with the amount of work he's putting into his batting, Young's destined to turn his form around.

He says Young's working very hard on his batting and, with the exception of one dropped catch, has been rock solid with the gloves since they were in Zimbabwe.

- Newstalk ZB/NZ Herald