Top 10 Cricketers With Most Man Of The Series Awards In International Cricket

One of the first things that you look for in a cricketer while judging him is the amount of match-impacting or series-impacting performances that he/she has dished out during their career.

And the number of ‘Player of the Series’ awards won by any cricketer is a fair reflection on his ability to dish out clutch performances when his/her team needs the most.

On that note, here’s a look at top-10 Cricketers with the most number of ‘Player of the Series’ awards in the history of the International Cricket:

10. Muttiah Muralitharan- 11

The leading wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan was one of the biggest match-winners that Sri Lanka has ever seen.

And, it’s reflected in the number of ‘Player of the Series’ awards that the legendary off-spinner during his career.

Muralitharan featured in as many as 155 series across all three formats in which he won the ‘Player of the Series’ award on 11 occasions; all of which came in Test cricket.

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9. Ricky Ponting- 11

The legendary Ricky Ponting was the heartbeat of Australia’s batting unit during his career.

The highest run-getter for Australia in Test and ODI cricket, Ricky Ponting was out and out match-winner.

Posting featured in as many as 147 series across formats during his career and he won 11 ‘Player of the Series’ awards.

While he won 4 of them in Test cricket, 7 ‘Player of the Series’ awards came in ODIs.

8. Shivnarine Chanderpaul- 11

An epitome of grit, patience, and awe-inspiring consistency, Shivnarine Chanderpaul spearheaded the West Indian batting unit despite it boasting of charismatic batters like Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Chanderpaul scripted a plethora of series-winning performances despite playing in an average West Indies team throughout his career.

The left-hander featured in as many as 136 series across all three formats during his career and has proceeded to win 11 ‘Player of the Series’ awards- 7 in Test cricket and 4 in ODIs.‘Player of the Series’ awards- 7 in Test cricket and 4 in ODIs.

7. Shaun Pollock- 11

A champion pacer and a handy lower-order batter, Shaun Pollock was a complete package and an out and out match-winner for the Proteas during his career.

The second-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in Test cricket and the leading wicket-taker for his country in ODIs, Shaun Pollock featured in 107 series across all three formats during his career.

And, the legendary seamer proceeded to win 11 ‘Player of the Series’ awards, 2 of which came in the longest format of the game while 9 came in 50-over cricket.

6. Chris Gayle- 12

The two-time triple-centurion in Test cricket; one time ODI double-centurion and multiple times centurion in the shortest format of the game, Chris Gayle has thrived in every format that he played during his career.

Gayle has featured in 138 series across all three formats for the West Indies thus far and he has ended up winning the ‘Player of the Series’ award on 12 instances.

While he has won 2 such awards in Test cricket, 8 and 2 have come in ODIs and T20Is respectively.

5. Sanath Jayasuriya- 13

Jayasuriya orchestrated a plethora of match and series-winning performances for Sri Lanka during his decorated career.

No wonder why he is the only Sri Lankan cricketer in the top-10 list of cricketers with the most ‘Player of the Series’ awards.

Jayasuriya featured in 176 series during his 22-year international career and he ended up winning the ‘Player of the Series’ on 13 instances. The legendary opener claimed 2 ‘Player of the Series’ awards in Test cricket and 11 in the 50-over format.

4. Shakib Al Hasan- 14

It is fair to say that Shakib Al Hasan will go down in history as Bangladesh’s best-ever cricketer and their biggest match-winner.

A brilliant batter and an equally handy left-arm spinner, Shakib has been the bedrock of the Bangladeshi team ever since he made his debut way back in 2006.

Shakib has featured in 126 series for Bangladesh in his 15-year-old career thus far and he had won 14 ‘Player of the Series’ awards. While 5 of them have come in Test cricket, 6 and 3 have come in ODI and T20Is respectively.

3. Jacques Kallis- 15

One of the greatest all-rounders of the modern era, Jacques Kallis will go down in history as one of South Africa’s most impactful players purely because of his ability to contribute consistently with both bat and ball.

The only cricketer to score 10000-plus runs and take 250-plus wickets in both Test and ODI cricket, Jacques Kallis is third in the list as far as cricketers with the most ‘Player of the Series’ awards in the history of the game.

Kallis featured in 148 series during his 19-year-old career and he ended up winning the coveted award on 15 instances.

While 9 of those awards came in the longest format of the game, 6 came in 50-over cricket.

2. Virat Kohli- 19

One of the greatest batsmen that this beautiful game has ever seen, it is no surprise that Virat Kohli features in this list at the No.2 spot despite having played less cricket as compared to other players in the same list.

Kohli has been India’s biggest match-winner in all formats of the game in the past decade and that’s reflected in the number of ‘Player of the Series’ awards he has accumulated in his 13-year-old career.

Kohli has featured in 130 series for Team India since making his debut in 2008 and he has racked up 19 ‘Player of the Series’ awards.

While 3 have come in Test cricket, 9 and 7 have come in ODI and T20Is respectively.

With him set to play international cricket for another 4-5 years, it is just a matter of time before Virat Kohli moves to the No.1 position.

1. Sachin Tendulkar- 20

Of course, who else than the ‘God of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar to spearhead the coveted list.

A child prodigy who went on to become the greatest batsman that this beautiful game has ever seen for the better part of 24 years, Sachin Tendulkar was the heartbeat of the Indian team.

Tendulkar consistently upped his game when his team needed it the most and he starred in various series-winning performances for Team India during his stellar career.

Apart from holding most of the batting records, SRT also holds the record for the most number of ‘Player of the Series’ awards won by a player in the history of the game.

Sachin featured in as many as 183 series during his career and he ended up winning the award on 20 occasions- 5 in Test cricket and 15 in ODIs.

(All Stats Updated Till 4th July, 2021)