Cricket World Cup History: Top 5 players with the most ‘Man of the Match’ awards
The first ever Cricket World Cup was played in 1975, four years after the introduction of the ODI format in 1971. Eleven editions of the World Cup have taken place since and the twelfth season will begin from 30th May in England & Wales.
The World Cup is the most prestigious and prominent tournament in the World Cricket and every player wishes to make a significant contribution for his team especially in the big event. It is never easy to perform in a big tournament like the World Cup and to win matches for your team on a multiple occasion is an extraordinary achievement.
A player's performance which has the greatest impact on that particular match is presented by 'Man of the Match' award. Let's have a look at the top five players with most 'Man of the Match' awards in the World Cup. However, 6 players have won the 'Man of the Match' award on 5 occasions. So, we have given priority to the players who have appeared in the fewer number of matches.
#1 Mark Waugh (5 MoM in 22 matches)
Not many players have a better record in the World Cup than the rest of their careers, but Australian legend Mark Waugh is an exception. The right-handed batsman who made his World Cup debut in 1992 won 5 'Man of the Match' awards in the World Cup cricket.
He was presented with his first 'Man of the Match' award for his explosive knock of 66 runs off 39 balls against Zimbabwe in the 1992 edition. The 1996 tournament was the best season for the Australian among all three World Cups he played in. Averaging more than 80 with the bat, the elegant batsman scored 484 runs and also picked up 5 wickets in the subcontinent edition.
He bagged three 'Man of the Match' awards for the three centuries he scored against Kenya, India and New Zealand in that World Cup. Howbeit, his team Australia lost against Sri Lanka in the Finals.
In his last World Cup, he earned his fifth 'Man of the Match' against Scotland. Chasing a low target of 182 runs, the right-handed batsman scored 67 runs and took his team home. To put the icing on the cake, Australia won the tournament held in England as they defeated Pakistan in the finals.