Playing for your country is always a dream for any sportsperson who takes up cricket. But representing your country in an ICC event is an even bigger dream. Not many big stars get a chance to play in an ICC event. That is the biggest platform for any cricketer when all the eyes are on you. Over the years, some players have made a habit of doing well in the ICC event.
This article is also related to one such stat. Here we will talk about the list of players with the most Man of the Match awards in an ICC event for white-ball. The white-ball ICC event will cover the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy. That means to feature on this list, you need to be the best in both white-ball formats. So, let’s check out this elite list of cricketers.
Most Man of the Match Awards in ICC Events (White-Ball)
| Player | Team | ODI WC | T20 WC | Champions Trophy | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | India | 4 | 8 | 1 | 13 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 1 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 9 | —– | 1 | 10 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| Shane Watson | Australia | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| Yuvraj Singh | India | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 5 | 4 | — | 9 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
10. Shakib Al Hasan – 9
Former Bangladeshi captain Shakib Al Hasan is probably the biggest that Bangladesh have given to this game. He has been with the team for almost two decades now and have played countless ICC events for his country. His ability to win games with bat and ball makes him a key contributor. Shakib has won seventh most Player of the Match awards and third-most Player of the Series award in this game. Overall, in the ICC events, he has won nine MOTM awards.
9. AB De Villiers – 9
AB de Villiers was one of a kind. There was not any other batter who came near him in the way he batted. He holds the record for the fastest ODI fifty, hundred, and 150. That is some record. He scored 20014 international runs in his career. De Villiers won 39 MOTM awards in his career and nine of them came in the white-ball ICC events. That shows how consistent he was on the big stage as well.
8. Sanath Jayasuriya – 9
Sanath Jayasuriya featuring on this list is itself very special. The T20I format came at the end of his career, and he couldn’t play many ICC T20 World Cups. But he is still featuring on this list, which speaks a lot about his stature. Jayasuriya is the only cricketer to finish his career with over 21000 runs and 400 international wickets. Jayasuriya won the third-most MOTM awards in his career, and his tally is 58. He won nine of them in the ICC white-ball events.
7. Yuvraj Singh – 9
India can never forget the contribution of Yuvraj Singh whenver the glorious moments in the Indian cricket history will be talked about. Be it his contribution in the T20 World Cup 2017 or his “Player of the Tournament” performance in the 2011 ODI World Cup, he was one of India’s biggest match-winners. Yuvraj won 34 MOTM awards in his career and nine of them came in the ICC white-ball events.
6. Shane Watson – 10
Shane Watson is probably the most underrated player on this list. But he had a great impact on Australia’s dominance in the white-ball ICC tournament. Watson’s ability to win games with bat and ball made him one of the core members of the Australian side. His impact on the team was very massive. Watson won 29 MOTM awards in his career. and ten of them came in the ICC white-ball tournament.
5. Mahela Jayawardene -10
Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene was a superstar from his country. He played for his country between 1997 and 2015 and scored 25957 runs in his international career. Jayawardene played many match-winning knocks at the highest level. Jayawardene won 41 Man of the Match awards in his career, and ten of them came in the ICC white-ball tournaments.
4. Sachin Tendulkar – 10
Legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar is someone you will find at the top of all lists or records in this sport. His featuring on this list tells about his longevity and success. Sachin never featured in the ICC T20 World Cup, but still, he is in the top five by doing well in ODI World Cups and Champions Trophy. In fact, Sachin holds the record for most MOTM awards in international cricket, and he has also taken the most MOTM awards in the ODI World Cup. Sachin has 76 MOTM awards in his international career and ten of them came in the ICC white-ball evnets.
3. Chris Gayle – 11
Chris Gayle had a major impact on West Indies cricket, and his style of play earned him a lot of success. Gayle won most Man of the Match awards in the ICC Champions Trophy history. Gayle is one of the few batters to score 300 in tests, 200 in ODIs, and 100 in T20Is. Gayle won 41 MOTM awards in his career, and 11 of them came in the ICC white-ball events.
2. Rohit Sharma – 11
Rohit Sharma and ICC events are a love affair. He is just unstoppable when it comes to performing at the highest level. The best example was the 2019 ODI World Cup when he slammed five centuries, which is the most in a single World Cup edition. Rohit has been India’s biggest match-winner in ICC events. So far, he has 43 MOTM awards in his career, and 11 of them came in the ICC events.
1. Virat Kohli – 13
When it comes to performing under pressure, there are not many better players than Virat Kohli. That’s what his record also suggests. Virat has been India’s go-to player in big events. He has scored the most runs in the history of all ICC white-ball events. Hence, him featuring at the top is not a big deal. Virat has won the second-most MOTM awards and the most Man of the Series awards in his international career. He has 13 MOTM awards in white-ball ICC events which is the most in history.
