Player of the Tournaments in World Cups
The ICC Cricket World Cup is arguably the most coveted tournament in the nation versus nation format of 50 Overs Cricket.
In perhaps the biggest platform of International Cricket, every player who comes out there in the middle, wants to make it count and help their country lift the prestigious World Cup and get crowned as the World Champions.
Although it’s a dream of every player to help take the country to a World Cup title, only a few are able to deliver match-winning performances throughout the course of the prestigious tournament. Till now 11 editions of the world cup have been organized.
Up until the 1987 World Cup, only Man of the match awards was given to the player who had made the most significant contribution in the match and preferably helped his side cross the line.
However, from the 1992 World Cup, apart from the man of the match awards, one player has also been declared as the Man/Player of the tournament for leaving an indelible mark on the World Cup with their match-winning and consistent performances.
Here is a look at seven players who were the Player of the tournaments in each of the seven world cups from 1992.
#7 Martin Crowe, New Zealand - 1992
One of New Zealand’s greatest batsman to have ever played the game, Martin Crowe led the Kiwis in the 1992 World Cup.
Crowe was known for his proactive style of leadership and was always ready to try innovative methods on the field. Under his leadership, New Zealand recorded their first semi-final finish in World Cup Cricket.
In the semi-final against Pakistan, Captain Crowe won the toss and elected to bat first. Crowe looked in great touch and scored 91 runs off 83 balls to help New Zealand post a challenging total of 262/7.
However, Crowe decided not to take the field while fielding as he had to nurse a hamstring injury. Pakistan won the game by four wickets largely on the back of Inzamam’s brilliance.
The 1992 world cup is also known for Martin Crowe’s unbeaten 100 against the Aussies in the opening match, a game they won by 37 runs.
The Kiwi batsman finished as the leading run scorer of the 1992 World Cup with 456 runs and was adjudged the Man of the Tournament, despite his side not reaching the finals.
Opening the bowling with a spinner (Dipak Patel, in the 1992 World Cup) and sending pinch hitters to open the batting were some of Crowe’s revolutionary ideas that have changed the game forever.
Crowe breathed his last in 2016 (aged 53) after being diagnosed with cancer for the first time in 2012.