Who has the Most Man of the Match Awards in International Cricket? The Greatest Match Winners in Cricket History

by Nitesh Mathur | Jul 29, 2023 | Records

Who has the most man of the match awards in international cricket? Which countries have consistently produced the most match-winners?

Here is everything you need to know about the player of the match awards in cricket history.

Key Takeaways

• Sachin Tendulkar (76), Virat Kohli (63), Sanath Jayasuriya (58), Jacques Kallis (57), and Kumar Sangakkara (50) have the most man of the match awards in international cricket across formats.
• Jacques Kallis (23), Muttiah Muralitharan (19), Wasim Akram & Shane Warne (17), Ricky Ponting & Kumar Sangakkara (16) have the most man of the match awards in Test cricket. Tendulkar (62), Jayasuriya (48), Kohli (38), and Kallis, Ponting, Afridi (32) have the most MOM awards in ODI cricket. Finally, Virat Kohli (15), Rohit Sharma (12), and Shahid Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan, David Warner (11) have the most MOM awards in T20I cricket.
• India & Sri Lanka top this list with 6 match-winners each, while Pakistan (5), Australia & West Indies, (4), South Africa (3), Bangladesh & New Zealand (1) complete it. Surprisingly, England have zero players in this list.
• 21 batters, eight all-rounders, and only one pure bowler (Muralitharan) make up the list of the top 30 most man of the match awards in international cricket. Three wicketkeeper-batters (Sangakkara, AB De Villiers, and Adam Gilchrist) also feature in the list.
• Viv Richards (13.3%) and Virat Kohli (12.6%) have the highest percentage of player of the match awards per game.

Also Read: Top 17 Greatest Wicketkeepers in Cricket History (Men’s): Which Keepers Have the Most Dismissals Across Formats?, 155 Greatest Cricketers of All Time (Men’s): Who Is the King of Cricket?, Top 32 Best Fielders in Cricket History: Jonty Rhodes, Paul Collingwood…Can You Guess The Rest?

Top 30 Most Player of the Match Awards in International Cricket

*POTM – Player of the Match, Also Known as *MOM – Man of the Match

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India), 76 Awards

• Years Played: 1989-2013
• Matches: 664
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 14/62/0

Percentage of POTM Awards per Match: 11.4%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

2. Virat Kohli (India), 63 Awards

• Years Played: 2008-2023*
• Matches: 501
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 10/38/15

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 12.6%

Role: Batter

*still playing

3. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), 58 Awards

• Years Played: 1989-2011
• Matches: 586
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 4/48/6

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 9.9%

Role: All-Rounder

4. Jacques Kallis (South Africa), 57 Awards

• Years Played: 1995-2014
• Matches: 519
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 23/32/2

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 11.0%

Role: All-Rounder

5. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), 50 Awards

• Years Played: 2000-2015
• Matches: 594
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 16/31/3

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.42%

Role: Batter, Wicketkeeper

6. Ricky Ponting (Australia), 49 Awards

• Years Played: 1995-2014
• Matches: 560
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 16/32/1

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.75%

Role: Batter

7. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), 43 Awards

• Years Played: 1996-2018
• Matches: 524
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 6/25/11

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.2%

Role: All-Rounder

8. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), 42 Awards

• Years Played: 2006-2003*
• Matches: 418
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 6/25/11

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 10.0%

Role: All-Rounder

9. Brian Lara (West Indies), 42 Awards

• Years Played: 1990-2007
• Matches: 430
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 12/30/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 9.8%

Role: Batter

10. Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies), 41 Awards

• Years Played: 1974-1991
• Matches: 308
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 10/31/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 13.3%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

11. Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka), 41 Awards

• Years Played: 1984-2003
• Matches: 401
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 11/30/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 10.2%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

12. Chris Gayle (West Indies), 41 Awards

• Years Played: 1999-2021
• Matches: 483
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 8/23/10

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.5%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

13. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), 41 Awards

• Years Played: 1997-2015
• Matches: 652
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 13/22/6

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 6.3%

Role: Batter

14. AB De Villiers (South Africa), 39 Awards

• Years Played: 2004-2018
• Matches: 420
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 13/22/6

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 9.3%

Role: Batter, Wicketkeeper

15. Wasim Akram (Pakistan), 39 Awards

• Years Played: 1984-2003
• Matches: 460
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 17/22/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.5%

Role: All-Rounder

16. Sourav Ganguly (India), 37 Awards

• Years Played: 1992-2008
• Matches: 424
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 6/31/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.7%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

17. Rohit Sharma (India), 37 Awards

• Years Played: 2007-2023*
• Matches: 444
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 4/21/12

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.3%

Role: Batter

18. David Warner (Australia), 36 Awards

• Years Played: 2009-2023*
• Matches: 350
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 8/17/11

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 10.3%

Role: Batter

19. Adam Gilchrist (Australia), 35 Awards

• Years Played: 1996-2008
• Matches: 396
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 7/28/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.8%

Role: Batter, wicketkeeper

20. Steve Waugh (Australia), 35 Awards

• Years Played: 1985-2004
• Matches: 493
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 14/21/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 7.1%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

21. Tillakarantne Dilshan (Sri Lanka), 35 Awards

• Years Played: 1999-2016
• Matches: 497
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 4/25/6

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 7.0%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

22. Martin Guptill (New Zealand), 34 Awards

• Years Played: 2009-2022*
• Matches: 367
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 2/22/10

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 9.3%

Role: Batter

23. Yuvraj Singh (India), 34 Awards

• Years Played: 2000-2017
• Matches: 402
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 0/27/7

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.5%

Role: All-Rounder

24. Shaun Pollock (South Africa), 34 Awards

• Years Played: 1995-2008
• Matches: 423
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 11/22/1

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.0%

Role: All-Rounder

25. Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan), 33 Awards

• Years Played: 1991-2007
• Matches: 499
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 9/24/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.1%

Role: Batter

26. Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan), 32 Awards

• Years Played: 2003-2021
• Matches: 392
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 2/19/11

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.2%

Role: All-Rounder

27. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), 32 Awards

• Years Played: 1992-2011
• Matches: 495
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 19/13/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 6.5%

Role: Bowler

28. Virender Sehwag (India), 31 Awards

• Years Played: 1999-2013
• Matches: 374
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 8/23/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.3%

Role: Batter, part-time bowler

29. Saeed Anwar (Pakistan), 30 Awards

• Years Played: 1989-2003
• Matches: 302
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 2/28/0

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 9.9%

Role: Batter

30. Desmond Haynes (West Indies), 30 Awards

• Years Played: 1978-1994
• Matches: 354
• Tests/ODIs/T20Is: 3/17/9

Percentage of POTM Awards Per Match: 8.5%

Role: Batter

Final Thoughts

Alright, so let’s wrap this up.

When we talk about cricket and the greatest match winner in international cricket, there’s one name that stands out – Sachin Tendulkar. He is a legend, and he’s received the awards to prove it. He holds the record for the most Man of the Match awards in international cricket. Talk about being a match-winner!

But let’s not forget about other greats like Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, and Sanath Jayasuriya. These guys have also shown time and time again that they can step up and deliver when it matters most. They’ve racked up their fair share of Man of the Match awards. There are several others that do not make the list but are great match-winners in their own right – MS Dhoni, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rashid Khan, Shane Watson, Dale Steyn, Jimmy Anderson, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Kane Williamson, etc.

So, there you have it.

These cricketers have left a long-lasting mark on the game, and fans will never forget their contributions. They truly embody what cricket is all about – talent, spirit, and the will to win. And that’s why we love this game, right?

Frequently Asked Questions – Most Man of the Match Awards in International Cricket

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