T20 cricket is a fast-moving format of the game. In the span of a few deliveries, the whole scenario changes. Therefore, most teams focus more on the shorter format of the game. T20 cricket has completely changed the dynamic of the game. Now a team cannot feel comfortable even after scoring a huge total as the team batting first can chase down any total.
Many superstars have represented their country in this format in the T20 World Cup. Whoever manages to impress in a short amount of time also wins the ‘Man of the Match award. So, in this article, we will look at the list of players who have won the most MOM awards, showing their impact on the team’s performance.
List Of Most Man of the Match in T20 World Cup
1: Shane Watson
Talking about all-rounders, Shane Watson is one of the best on the list. His ability to open the bowling and bat in the T20 format makes him special. Watson has done the job for the Australian team with utmost ease and a smile. Meanwhile, he has not won any title in the T20 World Cup arena.
Shane served the Australian team in the T20 World Cup as an opening batsman with class. His skill of bowling over 140 km/h is hard to find. In the World Cup, he played 24 matches and batted in 22 innings. From those games, Watto has five man-of-the-match awards.
His skills with bat and ball are unmatched. Although he scored only 537 runs in the T20 World Cup, 22 wickets with the ball in hand tend to obscure many aspects. If he doesn’t get you with the bat, he will get over you with the ball in hand. Quality to behold.
2: Chris Gayle
There are only a handful of records in T20 internationals that Chris Gayle will not hold. This talented left-handed batsman knows a thing or two about T20 cricket. The skill set of hitting a big bat at the top of the order is unique for men. He has played 33 T20 World Cup matches.
In all this, Chris hit 965 runs with the bat in hand. Not to forget, he has hit multiple T20 World Cup centuries, a record in itself. Such is the class of men, Gayle has also managed to win the Man of the Match award five times when we talk about T20 World Cups.
A record that equals the highest on this list. In earlier times, Gayle was also quite good with the ball. With his ability to bowl off-spin, the big left-hander has won the Man of the Match award five times when we talk about T20 World Cups.
A record that equals the highest on this list. In earlier times, Gayle was also quite good with the ball. With the ability to bowl off-spin, the big left-hander could pick up ten wickets with the ball in hand. It can be said that he is a skilled all-rounder to have on the team.
3: Virat Kohli
How is it possible that the modern-day great is not on the list of most men of the match at the T20 World Cup? Virat is known to play the role of anchor and also score runs for fun. He was the man of the tournament in 2014 and 2016, which shows his class.
Meanwhile, the right-hander was also the captain of the T20 side, which performed well. However, his failure to win the title made matters worse for him. But with willow in hand, Virat Kohli played 21 matches in the tournament.
He went 19 innings in those games and earned five man-of-the-match awards. Regarding consistency, Virat scored 845 runs in the tournament with accuracy and a brilliant average of 76.82. One can hardly beat it in the coming days. With a few more years to go, the runs for the great batsman only add up. It will be interesting to see where this ends up.
4: AB De Villiers
The Mr. 360 of cricket who revolutionized the game, AB De Villiers, also made it through the list of most decorated men of the match in the T20 World Cup. Although South Africa has not been able to win the T20 World Cup title to date, the success of this battery has been surreal.
Ab played most of his T20 cricket in the middle order and did the same in World Cups. With the pressure mounting, AB easily triumphed over him. Out of 30 matches played and 29 innings batted, AB won the Man of the Match award four times, which is impressive.
Apart from that, he also scored 717 runs with the bat in hand. A 29.88 average might not make your jaw drop, but for the most part, his only contribution made a difference to the team.
5: Shahid Afridi
Being the man of the match in the T20 World Cup final-winning team is never easy. But Shahid Afridi did it with ease. Afridi has the talent and skills to hold her own with both bat and ball. He has done so on several occasions in the meantime.
Given that the name is on the list of most men of the match in the T20 World Cup, it can be said that he is a superstar. Afridi was part of 34 matches in the tournament, batting in 32 innings. By the end of his career, Afridi had four man-of-the-match awards, which is key.
Not only that, but he also scored 546 runs at an average of 18.83. With fewer balls at his disposal, Shahid had a higher strike rate. Along with this, the leg spinner also picked up 39 wickets at an average of 23.26. Pakistan has hardly found a spin-bowling all-rounder after Shahid Afridi.
6: Tillakaratne Dilshan
If a list of underrated cricketers is ever made, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s name will easily make it. Talking about opening the batting for Srilanka, he is doing a great job. A full-length opener, Dilshan was a first-class pick early in the order.
You could talk about his consistency. In the event of the T20 World Cup, he played a total of 35 batting matches in 34 innings. The right-hander won four man-of-the-match awards from those games, which is the key to that. He also made some brave runs in between.
A total of 897 runs means he holds an average of 30.93 in the tournament. Being such an average opener is understandable. Although Dilshan had a few nifty corkers to show for it, he didn’t bowl much. As a result, he has only two wickets in the tournament’s history.
7: Marlon Samuels
If you want a player to be part of the playoffs, it has to be Marlon Samuels. A calm and balanced character who knows the situation well. When the Windies won two T20 World Cups, an innings from Samuels in both finals made the difference. He was critical of the win.
Samuels breezed through the list of most decorated men of the match at the T20 World Cup. He was a slow batsman who could carry the team over the line. Marlon has played 20 T20 World Cup matches, with 19 innings of batting. Out of all that, he won three man-of-the-man awards, which is very impressive.
It is one of the few achievements that he scored 530 runs with the bat in hand. An average of 31.18 entices any batsman when we talk specifically about T20 cricket. He also took six wickets with the help of off-spin. A handy all-around helper for the occasion.
8: Yuvraj Singh
Whenever India needed a player to stand up at global events, it was Yuvraj Singh. His batting skills on big occasions were something special. Yuvraj has played an essential role in all the world tournaments India has won. The same is the case with the T20 World Cup. He was part of 31 games.
Yuvraj bowled, batted, and fielded exceptionally well for India in all these games. Meanwhile, he also managed to win three man-of-the-match awards. It was his contribution that helped India win the World Cup 2007 title. Yuvraj managed to score 593 runs in the tournament.
Batting in the middle order did not get him many deliveries. Apart from that, Singh had 12 wickets in his kitty. A bowling average of 19.17 shows that he was no part-timer at all.
9: Umar Gul
The latest name on the list of most awards for men in a T20 World Cup match is Umar Gul. Talking about the 2007 and 2009 seasons, he was the best bowler in the T20 World Cups. He won the title in 2009 when he played for the Pakistan cricket team. His ability to swing the ball made him special.
Whether it was bowling at the start of the innings or the death, everything went his way for Gul, which is key. He had a total of 24 caps for the Pakistan team. He only scored 67 runs with the bat, but his bowling was the key. As a result, Gul won the Man of the Match award three times.
Talking about his bowling, Umar managed to take 35 wickets with the ball. A bowling average of 17.26 is something to be very proud of if you deliver in T20 cricket. A pure pace bowler from Pakistan.
10: Mahela Jayawardene
When Mahela Jayawardene first entered the world of cricket, he was an accomplished Test batsman. Ability to maneuver in the field and also find the boundary ropes. But things changed quite quickly as he also adapted well to T20 cricket. Opening the batting, Mahela held one end with utmost ease.
He walks through the list of most men of the match in the T20 World Cup. Jayawardene has served the Sri Lankan team well in T20 cricket. In all 31 matches played, Mahela has won five man-of-the-match awards to date. It’s amazing.
Jayawardene also scored 1016 runs with the bat in hand. An average of 39.08 indicates how good he is with the bat. Mahela, a great player who also won the title in 2014, tends to rule this list at the very top.
