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International cricket comprises matches of both limited and unlimited overs. T20 and ODI matches fall under limited whereas test match is the longest form of cricket. A cricketer is awarded the man of the match because of his/her outstanding performance on the field and contribution to the match. Moreover, the most impactful cricketer of the match is awarded the man of the match title. Anyone from either of the team can win it but in most of the situations, the cricketer from the winning team gets the award. Let's take a look at the Most man of the matches in international cricket.
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1. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is the cricketer to receive the most man of the match in international cricket. No wonders why he is the number one cricketer on this list. The god of cricket has helped the Indian cricket team to win against the opponents uncountable times. From scoring boundaries to centuries, he did it all to add a wholesome amount of runs to the score table. He made his International debut in 1989 and retired in 2013. Within this time span, he played 664 matches and became the man of the match 76 times.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya
The former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team is the second cricketer on this list. Jayasurya is one of the greatest attacking cricketers of his time. His striking skills and match-winning performances made him extremely popular among everyone. Also, he is the only cricketer in cricket history to score 10000 runs and picking up 300 wickets in a single format. In 1989 he made his debut and played 586 matches till his retirement in 2011. Jayasurya received the man of the match award 58 times.
3. Virat Kohli
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When it comes to saving the team from the situation, Virat Kohli needs to be on that list. He has been showing and proving his caliber since his debut and helped the team to win several times. The king of cricket is a threat to the opponent bowlers anyday. He is definitely one of those players on whom the fans can rely to save the team in dire situations. The Indian captain made his International debut in 2008 and since then he has played 436 matches and won the man of the match award 57 times.
4. Jacques Kallis
You say the greatest all-rounder of all time, we hear Jacques Kallis. The former South African cricketer has always been exceptional and contributed to the team in all the possible ways starting from batting to bowling to fielding. He made a record of scoring 2000 runs and picking up more than 250 wickets at the very same time. Also, he took more than a hundred catches. One of the biggest assets of the South African cricket team of his time has also been the cricketer to win the man of the series award 9 times which is the second in cricket history. Needless to say, he has won the man of the match award as well a lot of times. Since his debut in 1995, he played 519 matches till 2014 and won 57 Man of the match times.
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5. Kumar Sangakkara
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The former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara is definitely one of the greatest batsmen ever. His knocks and boundaries where loved by everyone. In ODIs, he scored the most runs for his country. Also he is the third-highest run-scorer at no. 3 position. After his debut in 2000, hi he played in 594 matches till his retirement and received the man of the match award 50 times.
6. Ricky Ponting
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One of the few batsmen and captains of the Australian Cricket team who is responsible for the global domination of the team is Ricky Ponting. His batting on the pitch, captaining throughout the field was something that glued the audience to the field. Starting from being the youngest captain to lift the World Cup to being on the list of most runs in knockouts of ICC tournament and breaking so many batting records, he has done it all. The legend made his debut in 1995 and played 560 matches till 2012. During this time hi he received the man of the match award 49 times.
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7. Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistani player made his International debut in 1996. He is widely regarded as one of the most destructive cricketers. He is the record holder for hitting the most number of sixes in the ODI cricket history. Also so he is the highest wicket-taker in T20 as a captain. One of his most exciting records is that he became the first player who scored a hattrick in 18 over format match. Afridi was awarded the man of the match award 43 times in 524 matches
8. Brian Lara
The former Caribbean player is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen ever. He has broken uncountable test records and enlisted his names in as many record lists as possible. As a West Indies cricketer, he scored the most number of centuries and the most exciting part is that 9 of the centuries are actually double centuries. No wonders why he is on the list of the top 10 cricketers with the most man of match titles. In 430 matches played by him, he was awarded the man of the match 42 times.
9. Viv Richards
Another cricketer from the West Indies cricket team on this list is Viv Richards. He has been consistent with his batting always both in ODI and test matches. He became the first cricketer to achieve 20 man of the match awards in ODIs. Also in test matches, he scored a total of 8540 runs with an average of 50.23. From scoring nearly about 7000 runs in ODI matches to becoming the first test batsman to score a century at a strike rate of 150+ he did it all. In about 17 years of his cricket career, he received the man of the match award 41 times in 308 matches.
10. Aravinda de Silva
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The 10th cricketer on this list is Aravinda de Silva from the Sri Lanka cricket team. Due to his immense contribution to the team, he is considered one of the greatest batsmen of the Sri Lanka team ever. He has remained the strongest pillar of the Sri Lankan team and helped the team to remove the tag of underdogs. He is the only cricketer who scored a century as well as took three or more wickets in a world cup final. In a career of 401 International matches, he received the man of the match award 41 times.
