7 players who have won the Man of the Tournament Award in World Cups
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the most coveted international cricketing event in the game's history. Started in 1975, there have been 11 editions so far and Australia have won the most number of World Cups winning 5 times. West Indies won the first 2 editions and India have won the World Cup twice while Sri Lanka and Pakistan have won once.
The Man of the Match award is a sign of great individual achievement for a player and gives them confidence. Sachin Tendulkar has the most number of Man of the Match awards in World Cup games winning it 9 times. Also, highly significant is the Player Of The Tournament award which was brought into practice from the 1992 World Cup. No player has won it more than once and it's one of the most prestigious awards a cricketer can get.
Let's see who the players are.
#1992 - Martin Crowe ( New Zealand) - Batsman- Innings:9| Runs: 456
Martin Crowe was the captain of the New Zealand side in the 1992 World Cup. The tournament was hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Crowe finished as the highest run scorer in the tournament and finished off with 456 runs in 9 innings at an average of 114 and a strike rate of 92 which was simply phenomenal. New Zealand made it to the semifinals of the tournament against eventual winners Pakistan after topping their group in the group stage.
In the semis, Crowe starred with the bat, scoring 91 runs off 83 balls which was considered a great strike rate and great score at that time. New Zealand finished off with 262/7 in their 50 overs, however, when Pakistan batted, he chose to stay off the field and rest an injured hamstring, with John Wright taking over on the field.
Pakistan won the match by 4 wickets denying Martin and the Kiwis a place in the World Cup finals. He was nevertheless congratulated by one and all and made history by being the first recipient of this highly coveted award. He passed away 2 years ago at the age of 53 due to cancer.
#1996 - Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) Innings: 8| Runs: 221| Wickets:7
Sanath Jayasuriya became the second recipient of this award. The dazzling batting all-rounder from Sri Lanka revolutionized modern day batting and thrashed teams during the power play and was one of the first players to make use of the fielding restrictions. Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup after hammering India in the semis and being declared winners by default due to crowd disturbance and then defeated Australia in the finals.
Jayasuriya scored 221 runs in the World Cup at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 131 which was absolutely unheard of at that point. He also picked up 7 wickets at an economy of 3.96 and was a great all-rounder. Though there were other contenders, like Sachin with 523 runs or Aravinda De Silva with 447 runs, Jayasuriya was chosen as the Player of the Tournament due to the importance and timing of his all-round performances.