3 times the entire team received the Man of the Match awardÂ
Cricket, despite being a team game, individual players exert a much bigger influence on the outcome of a contest in comparison to other sports.
When a bowler runs into bowl at the batsman, it is a battle between two players and the result in a cricket match is decided by a series of such contests.
Thus, the Man-of-the-Match award in cricket is generally given to the player who has played the most significant part individually in his team's performance on the day.
Mostly given to a player from the winning side, there have been many instances when a player from the losing team has also bagged the award.
However, instances when the whole team was awarded the Man-of-the-Match award in cricket, have been few and far between. In fact, it has happened only thrice in international cricket's 142-year long history - once in Tests and twice in ODI's.
The decision doesn't necessarily mean that all the eleven players in the side played a major role in the team's victory per se, but keeping statistics aside, it is a token of appreciation for the part they part in a collective win.
Let's have a look at the circumstances that led to such a decision being taken by the adjudicators in detail.
#1 4th ODI, New Zealand tour of West Indies at Georgetown, April 3, 1996
Match Summary: New Zealand 158 all out (35.6 overs) beat West Indies 154 all out (49.1 overs) by 4 runs
The first instance in international cricket when the whole team was awarded the Man-of-the-Match was in April 1996 when the victorious New Zealand team bagged the honour for their collective effort in a thrilling 4-run win over West Indies at Georgetown.
Heading into the 4th ODI of the five-match series trailing 2-1, the visitors knew that they had to win to remain alive in the contest and they did just that, albeit after a big scare.
Things weren't looking good for the Black Caps halfway through the game, as they were dismissed for 158 after being put into bat by West Indian skipper Courtney Walsh.
Craig Spearman was the top-scorer with 41 with only skipper Lee Germon, Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns managing to reach double-figures for the Kiwis in addition to the former.
With the New Zealand innings winding up within 36 overs, there was still time for the West Indies batsmen to start their run-chase but it didn't go the way the home crowd were hoping for.
Gavin Larsen provided the early breakthroughs the New Zealanders were desperately craving for, getting rid of Stuart Williams and the dangerous Brian Lara who was looking in ominous form, hitting Dipak Patel for three consecutive boundaries.
With West Indies struggling at 39/3, New Zealand knew that they could defend their low-total and continued to exert their stranglehold on proceedings in the post-lunch session as well.
The bowlers gave little away with their line and length and kept picking up wickets at regular intervals, with Phil Simmons the fourth to go after a 29-run stand for the 4th wicket.
Jimmy Adams and Roland Holder added 36 runs for the 5th wicket and were threatening to take the game away from the opposition when Chris Harris ran out the former for 11.
While Holder managed to keep his wicket intact, wickets kept falling in a flurry at the other end, as West Indies were reduced from 104/4 to 120/8.
Curtly Ambrose and Holder added 32 runs for the ninth wicket and were just 7 runs away from winning the series for their side when the former fell to Justin Vaughan and Walsh's dismissal in the final over by Chris Cairns left Holder stranded at one end on 49, thereby giving the Kiwis a memorable win.
