Top 5 Players with Most Player of Match Awards in Test Cricket History

Test cricket is one of the most traditional formats of the game that has been going on for centuries right now. We have seen the growth of this format in international cricket and have witnessed some great matches. The 2005 Ashes series and 2021 Border Gavaskar series are some of the iconic Test matches that will be remembered for a very long time. These series are the reason why Test cricket is relevant today. It was a long time ago when the Test matches were about surviving five days in the match, but in recent times it has been all about the runs. Even the World Test Championship has now made this a really important format in the game of cricket.

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We have seen a lot of great cricketers in this format who have been iconic and sensational in this format. The legends of this game have given great performances consistently and have made a big impact in the game. With all these great performances we will also want to know which of these cricketers have won the most Player of the Match awards as well. This is the prize mostly given to the best performer in the game and the people who have conquered this format have won plenty of these throughout their career.

So, here are the Top 5 cricketers to win the most Player of the Match awards in Test cricket:

5. Kumar Sangakkara- 16

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There is no doubt that Kumar Sangakkara is one of the best wicketkeeper batters Sri Lanka has ever produced. Known for his stylish stroke play and safe hands behind the stumps he has been one of the legendary icons for Sri Lanka. Sangakkara is currently the leading run scorer for the Lankans with 12400 runs in 134 games at an average of 57.14. With these records, there is no doubt that he has won the player of the match 16 times in his career. Sanga was one of the pioneers for Sri Lanka and has been one of their most reliable players in all formats of the game.

4. Shane Warne- 17

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If there is any spinner who has been a massive threat to all the batters in Test cricket, it is none other than Shane Warne. The legendary leg spinner is the highest wicket-taker for Australia with 708 wickets to his name. Warne has also managed to take 37 five-wicket hauls and 10 ten-wicket hauls in his illustrious 145-match Test career. His iconic spells where he was able to take wickets in even the flattest pitches with his variations and natural turn made him dangerous for the batters to face him. With this ability, he also went on to win 17 Player of the Match awards in Test cricket which is the most for any Aussie player in the longest format.

3. Wasim Akram-17

There were many dangerous pace bowlers in the Pakistan team during the ’80s, '90s’ and early 2000s, but none of them were like Wasim Akram. Wasim was not only known for his ability to bowl over 140’s but also knew how to swing the ball both ways and set up the batters. Where on one side it was Waqar Younis who was scaring batters with his pace, there was Wasim at the other end who used to trick the batters with his art of swing and seam bowling. The Sultan of Swing is one of the best bowlers Pakistan has ever produced and has won 17 Player of the Match awards in Test cricket.

2. Muttiah Muralitharan- 19

There is no doubt that Mr. 800 Muttiah Muralitharan features in this list as well, with his terrific off spinners that used to fox any batter on the day. He might have not had one of the most conventional actions in the game, but that is what made him unique and tough for the batters to pick him. Murali has taken 67 five wicket hauls in his career which is the most for any bowler in Test cricket. His iconic doosra was really another mystery for the batters. There is absolutely no surprise that he has won the player of the match 19 times and established himself as one of the greatest spinner in cricket history.

1.Jacques Kallis- 23

Jacques Kallis is probably the best all rounder in cricket history who gave us some great performances with the bat where has scored over 13000 runs at an average of 55 to go along with his 292 wickets with the ball. Kallis was the full package for the South African side and gave one of the most impactful performances for his team especially in Test cricket. Whether it was his counter attacking way of playing at the top of the order or his ability to bowl some great spells with his seam bowling, Kallis has done it all. Being consistent in all these departments and being an absolute star for his team he has won the player of the match award 23 times which is the most by anyone in Test cricket.