Top 3 active players with most POTM awards in Tests
Cricket is a team sport, and the team with more collective efforts from their players usually comes on top. But some individual efforts weigh more than others due to their decisive role in the result of the match. It can be either be bowler, a batter, or an all-rounder who is awarded the ‘ Player of the Match’ award for their crucial contribution.
Here’s a look at the top 3 players with the most POTM awards in Tests among the current pool of players:
3) Stuart Broad – England- 10 times
Stuart Broad will go down as one of the greatest bowlers in the modern era of Test cricket and arguably England’s greatest after James Anderson. The baby-faced golden boy from Nottingham appeared in more than 150 Tests for the English side and made it a happy habit of putting his hands up whenever they needed him. The tall fast bowler is England’s second-highest wicket-taker in the longest format of the game and has picked up the POM award on ten occasions, the joint-second most behind Ian Botham’s 11 awards.
2) Steve Smith – Australia- 12 times
The Australian batter who has developed a knack for scoring runs for his side in tricky situations, Steve Smith, is regarded as one of the greatest batters of all time. The unconventional top-order batter is a menace at the pitch with his eye-catching nuances and pristine fidgety batting technique. While his batting entertains the crowd, it irritates bowlers because of his tenacity. The gifted Australian has won the POTM award on 12 occasions in just 86 matches.
1) Joe Root – England- 13 times
Joe Root has often been the filip to a jaded England team in recent times. The bulwark has outbattled oppositions out of the match with his stubborn resilience at the crease. The former England captain has had a prolific last couple of years and recently breached the 10,000 run mark in Tests, only the second Englishman to do so after Alastair Cook. Root has often defied the odds with his tenacity to score important runs for his team and has been awarded the POTM trophy 13 times for his outstanding efforts. With the kind form, he has shown lately, he will be eyeing Jacques Kallis’ record of 23 hauls.
