Top 10 cricketers with most 'Man of the Match' awards in ODI cricket
In cricket, there is a key contest between bat and ball on the 22 yards and each player on the green turf puts in his best foot forward in the role assigned to them. Every team needs to have the right combination of batsmen and bowlers to strike a good balance and have the winning edge over the opposition. A team needs to be equipped with players of different skills sets to win you a game. Coming to batting, teams look for explosive openers at the top, dependable sheet anchors in the middle order and power hitters at the death to finish off games. On similar lines, a good blend of potent seamers and quality spinners is a must for having the much-required variation in the bowling line-up. In ODI cricket, a team needs to have a couple of match winners in their tanks who can change the course of a game on their own. A match winner needs to possess multiple qualities like good match awareness, calm demeanour to soak in the pressure and keen understanding of the opposition’s game plan besides excelling in his predefined role in the team.
Over the years we have seen like ODI greats like Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Wasim Akram, Shane Warne and Brett Lee giving the cutting edge to their respective sides with their ability to win matches. Over the last five years batting maestros like Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, David Warner, Quinton De Cock, Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam have contributed tremendously with the willow to win ODI matches for their respective sides. Similarly, the likes of Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Rashid Khan have bowled some exceptional spells to win matches for their teams.
These players are the 'impact players' who can get the team across the finishing line by putting in incredible performances with either bat or ball on a consistent basis.
So let us have a look at the top ten international cricketers who have won the most man of the match awards in ODI cricket. Before we run through the list, honourable mentions to those cricketers who won 25 or more man of the match awards in ODIs.
International cricketers with 25 or more Man of the Match awards in ODIs
Virat Kohli – 28
Adam Gilchrist - 28
Saeed Anwar – 28
AB De Villiers – 27
Yuvraj Singh – 27
T Dilshan – 25
Nathan Astle – 25
Desmond Haynes - 25
#10 Aarvinda De Siva
Aravinda De Siva was Sri Lanka’s most accomplished batsman in limited overs cricket. In the 90s, De Silva was ranked among the best in the world due to his ability of scoring runs all round the wicket. The classy right handed batsman was Sri Lanka’s most dependable stroke maker in the middle order and forged a healthy partnership with Arjuna Ranatunga.
A brilliant reader of the game, De Siva knew just when to accelerate and step up the scoring rate. He was a big match player and reserved his best knocks against quality oppositions at major tournaments.
ODI - 308
Man of the Match Awards- 30