Top 10 cricketers with most 'Man of the Match' awards in Tests
Arguably the toughest format of the game, Test cricket is all about skill, patience, technique, and endurance. The first ever official Test was played between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877.
Since its inception, there have been more than 2,000 Test matches played by 13 different countries. England has played 1004 Tests, the most by any cricketing nation. Ireland and Afghanistan recently became the 12th and 13th Test playing nations in May 2018 and June 2018 respectively.
Test cricket has produced some brilliant cricketers over its 141 years history. Some of them dominated the game for a long time and even went on to become the legends of the game. Only 28 players have won 10 or more ‘Man of the Match’ Awards in the history of Test cricket.
Honourable Mentions: Ian Botham (12), Graeme Smith (12), and Brian Lara (12).
On that note, let’s take a look at top 10 cricketers with most 'Man of the Match' awards in Tests:
#10 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
One of the most accomplished cricketers of the modern era, Jayawardene has an excellent record for Sri Lanka across all formats. The former Sri Lanka captain has scored 11814 runs in 149 Tests at an average of almost 50.
His stunning career included 34 hundreds and 50 fifties. He has led the scoring charts for Sri Lanka in various Test series and has won the 'Man of the Match' award on 13 occasions.
#9 Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Indian batting legend and arguably the greatest batsman of the modern era, Sachin Tendulkar has played a huge role in India’s success for more than two decades. With 200 Tests, Sachin is the most capped Test player of all-time.
He has scored 15921 runs at an average of 53.78, which included 51 hundreds. Surprisingly, Sachin Tendulkar has won only 14 ‘Man of the Match’ awards in his long and illustrious career.