ICC WTC 2019-21: 4 Players With Most Player Of The Match Awards In The Tournament

The recently-concluded ICC World Test Championship [WTC] witnessed a plethora of amazing individual performances, one that whetted the appetite of cricket fans around the world,

From Steve Smith’s redemption in the 2019 Ashes to Ben Stokes Headingley heroics; from Rohit Sharma’s masterly 161 on a rank turner in Chennai to Ravichandran Ashwin’s heroics in Australia and at home; from Rishabh Pant’s match-winning knocks in Brisbane and Ahmedabad to Joe Root’s double tons in Sri Lanka and India; from Pat Cummins performances in England and against India on home soil to Kyle Jameison’s whirlwind debut in International cricket, the WTC witnessed a lot of memorable performances.

On that note, here’s a look at cricketers with the most number of Player of the Match awards in WTC 2019-21.

ICC WTC 2019-21: 4 Players With Most Player Of The Match Awards In The Tournament

Steve Smith- 3

Steven Smith kickstarted his World Test Championship campaign with a bang as he smashed back-to-back tons in the first Ashes Test in 2019 which helped Australia breach the English fortress in Edgbaston.

Smith smashed a 144 in the first innings to lift Australia from a hopeless 8/122 to a competitive score of 284.

And, if that wasn’t enough, the champion batsman smashed a 207-ball 142 in the second to help Australia win the Test match by 251 runs.

Needless to say, he was named the ‘Player Of the Match’.

Smith backed up with heist at Edgbaston with yet another match-winning performance I the 4th Test at Old Trafford in Manchester as he smashed a masterly double ton (211) and a whirlwind 92-ball 82 to ensure Australia retained the urn as he picked up his 2nd ‘Player Of the Match’ award.

Following his exploits in the 2019 Ashes, Steve Smith went 8 Tests without a three-figure score.

He was troubled by Neil Wagner and R. Ashwin during the 2019 and 2020 home summer with the leg side ploy but the former Aussie skipper eventually shrugged off his barren run during the New Year Test in Sydney earlier this year.

Smith scored a brilliant 131 in the first innings and followed it up with an 81 in the second and even though Australia failed to win the Test match, the right-hander picked up his 3rd ‘Player Of the Match’ award in the WTC cycle.

Joe Root- 3

Joe Root was the leading run-scorer for England during the two-year World Test Championship cycle. [WTC].

Root was absolutely sensational during the first leg of England tours of Sri Lanka and India this past winter.

The champion batsman smashed a masterly 228 in the first Test at Galle and followed it up with another brilliant match-winning knock of 186 as England wrapped up a comfortable 2-0 series win.

Root was adjudged the ‘Player Of the Match’ in both Tests and also the ‘Player Of the Series’ for accumulating as many as 426 runs in 4 innings at an average of 106.50.

The 30-year-old carried his form to India and started off the series with another pristine double ton in the first Test in Chennai to set up a commanding 227-run-win for his team. Needless to say, he was adjudged the ‘Player Of the Match’, taking his total count to 3.

Kyle Jamieson- 3

Kyle Jamieson proved to be the biggest emerging star during the ICC World Test Championship [WTC].

A tall pacer blessed with th3 ability to move the ball in both directions coupled with the kick-off the surface that he generates, it is fair to say that  Jamieson is well nigh impossible to counter in seaming conditions.

Jamieson made his Test debut against India during the 2020 home summer and he won his first ‘Player Of the Match’ award in just his 2nd Test in Christchurch.

The right-arm seamer claimed 5/45 in the first innings and he backed it up with a counter-attacking 63-ba 49 that helped New Zealand get close to India’s first innings total.

His 2nd ‘Player Of the Match’ award came against Pakistan in late 2020 where he notched up figures of 5/69 & 6/48.

Jamieson rounded off his brilliant WTC campaign with a match-winning performance against India in the final as he claimed figures of 5/31 & 2/30 besides scoring a crucial 16-ball 21 in the first innings.

Ben Stokes- 4

Joe Root may have scored the most number of runs but Ben Stokes was undoubtedly England’s MVP during the WTC cycle.

Stokes won as many as four ‘Player Of the Match’ awards during the cycle, two of which came during the 2019 Ashes.

The Durham all-rounders scored a brilliant 115 in the third innings of the Lord’s Test to win his first award and he backed it with one of the greatest-ever individual performances in Test history at Leeds where he smashed an unbeaten 135 to help England chase down 359 with one wicket in hand.

Stokes was once again at his absolute best a few months later in Cape Town as he put up a stunning all-round show to help England square the 4-match series.

The all-rounder scored 47 and 72 but his most important contribution came with the ball in the 4th innings as he knocked over the South Africans with short pitch stuff to register figures of 3/35 in 23.4 overs.

His last ‘Player Of the Match’ performance came against the West Indies at Old Trafford in Manchester during the home summer last year where he smashed a brilliant 176 in the first innings and a whirlwind unbeaten 78 off 57 balls as an opener in the second essay.

Stokes also claimed a total of 3 wickets in the Test match as England squared the series with an emphatic 113-run victory.

Also Read- Team India’s Schedule For The 2nd Cycle Of World Test Championship [2021-2023]