The World Cup is the most important tournament in cricket, as it comes only once in 4 years. Every Cricketer wants to give their best on the field to win the World Cup for their respective teams. Undoubtedly, a player becomes a legend if he contributes and his team wins the World Cup. In the big stages, like finals, if a player becomes the Man of the match, he also becomes the hero of his nation. So, let's look at the top ten Man of the Match Awards in each World Cup Edition.
1. Travis Head, 2023
The 2023 World Cup Final was played between the two strongest teams: India and Australia. Australia won the toss and decided to bowl first in the finals. India set a target of 241 runs. In the 7th over, Australia lost their crucial three wickets at only 47 runs. After that, Travis Head built a crucial partnership with Marnus Labuschagne; Travis Head played an exceptional innings of 137 off 120 balls and became the 3rd Australian to score a century in the World Cup Finals. Australia won the finals by 6 wickets, and for the brilliant innings of 137, Travis Head got the Man of the Match award.
2. Ben Stokes, 2019
Ben Stokes is one of the finest world all-rounders and performed on the big stage, where the situation became intense. In the 2019 World Final, England got a target of 242 from New Zealand. After losing four wickets at 86 runs, Ben Stokes built a significant partnership with Buttler. Ben Stokes stayed on the crease till last and scored 84 runs and 8 runs in the Super Over. England won the thriller finals and lifted their first-ever World Cup trophy. Ben Stokes became the Man of the Match in the finals for his epic batting performance.
3. James Faulkner, 2015
James Faulkner is one of the most underrated all-rounders in the history of Australian Cricket. Even after performing in the big stages, Australia did not pick him for any series. The 2015 World Cup Final was played between Australia and New Zealand, where New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first. James Faulkner destroyed New Zealand's middle order by dismissing Ross Taylor, Elliott, and Corey Anderson. James Faulkner's epic speech made the final one-sided, and Australia easily won the finals by 7 wickets.
4. MS Dhoni, 2011
The 2011 World Cup was the best and most unforgettable World Cup for India, as they won the World Cup after 28 years. In the finals, India faced Sri Lanka. With Jayawardene's century and Perera's good finish, Sri Lanka set a target of 275 runs. After losing two wickets at 31 runs, Gambhir built a crucial partnership with Kohli after Kohli's dismissal. MS Dhoni came to bat and scored 91 runs in just 79 balls. MS Dhoni's innings removed the pressure from Gautam's head as Dhoni played more aggressively. No one can forget Dhoni's legendary winning six. For the brilliant innings of 91, MS Dhoni got the Man of the Match award.
5. Adam Gilchrist, 2007
In the history of cricket, Australia is the only team that has won three consecutive World Cup trophies. The 2007 World Final was played between Australia and Sri Lanka. In the finals, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. From Australia's side, Adam Gilchrist ruthlessly smashed every Sri Lankan bowler. On the big stage like the World Cup Finals, where every player feels pressure, Adam Gilchrist fearlessly played and scored 149 in just 104 balls, of which 8 sixes were included. By his innings, Australia won the World Cup, and Adam Gilchrist got the Man of the Match.
6. Ricky Ponting, 2003
Undoubtedly, Australia is the biggest team in the big stages, like the World Cup. They won most of the World Cup because, every time, they gave their everything on the field, and the Australian team never choked in any knockout game. The same happened in the 2003 World Cup, where Ricky Ponting ruthlessly smashed an Indian bowler and scored 140 runs, and Australia set a target of 360 for India. When India came to bat, they lost their wickets quickly, and except Sehwag, no player scored runs. As a result, Australia easily won the final by 125 runs. For Ponting's amazing innings, ICC gave him a man of the match award.
7. Shane Warne, 1999
That was when Australia's dominating era started and after that, they won two consecutive World Cups as well. In the 1999 World Cup finals, Australia faced Pakistan, where Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. No Pakistani batter performed in the finals as Shane Warne single-handedly defeated Pakistan. In this finals, Shane Warne took four important wickets and Australia got an easy target of 133 runs. As a result, Australia won the match by 8 wickets, and Shane Warne got the player of the match award.
8. Aravinda de Silva, 1996
1996 was the first World Cup where Sri Lanka won their first ICC World Cup. The World Cup final was played between Australia and Sri Lanka, and people thought Australia would easily win. But Sri Lanka defied the odds and chased a target of 242 runs. 1996 was the first edition of the World Cup, where the chasing team won the final match. Sri Lankan legend Aravinda de Silva scored the most important match-winning 107 runs for Sri Lanka. As a result, Aravinda de Silva got the Man of the match for his crucial inning.
9. Wasim Akram,1992
Even after losing some league matches of the World Cup, Pakistan's team's chances of playing the knockout were negligible. However, they qualified for knockout and beat New Zealand in the semi-finals. Pakistan played the finals against England where Pakistan bat first and scored 249 runs. When England was chasing, in the 35th over, Wasim Akram bowled two magical deliveries to Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis. As a result, Pakistan won the final by 22 runs. In the finals, Wasim Akram took the three most crucial wickets; for this performance, he got the Man of the Match award.
10. Mohinder Amarnath, 1983
Nobody thought that India would win the 1983 World Cup as there were many stronger teams than India. After beating Zimbabwe, where Kapil Dev played an unbelievable innings of 175, team India gained confidence and qualified for the semi-finals. After winning against England, team India faced West Indies, considered the favorites to win the 1983 World Cup. Team India believed in themselves and beat West Indies in the finals by 43 runs. Mohinder Amarnath scored crucial 26 runs for India and took three important wickets. For his epic performance, Mohinder Amarnath got the Man of the Match.
