Test players with the highest frequency of Man-of-the-Match awards (Part 1)
Test cricket is without a doubt, the toughest format in international cricket which brings out the very best in any international cricketer. However, the increasing influence of batsmen in test cricket, ably assisted with favourable batting conditions, has lead to a string of poor performances by the bowlers. While keeping these conditions in mind, we at bettor.com list down the players who have won the man-of-the-match awards in test cricket with the highest frequency.
Wasim Akram leads the pack in this regard and is closely followed by Jacques Kallis, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Marshall-c74817. It wasn’t an easy job to line these cricketing greats in an order which could depict their contributions and individual achievements in test cricket. As a result, they have been carefully listed in terms of the number of matches they have played and most importantly, their frequency of producing a world class performance.
Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is one of the all time cricketing greats and undoubtedly the greatest left arm fast bowler ever to have graced planet Earth. His sheer talent with the new and old ball were exceptional. With the ability to bowl a wide array of deliveries, Akram has one of the most glorious test cricket records known to world cricket.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wasim-Akram-c96292 played a total of 104 test matches, taking 414 wickets at an average of 23.62. With 25 five wickets hauls and 5 ten wicket hauls in a test match to his name, Akram’s most credible achievement was to maintain a strike rate of 54.6.
In the first 29 test matches of his career, the left arm veteran was able to pocket 94 wickets at an average of 28.18. Moreover, he was able to take 5 five wickets haul and 1 ten wickets in a match. He also managed to maintain a strike rate of 65.9. His 7 years of peak cricket allowed him to take 240 wickets from just 48 matches, as he maintained an impressive average of 20.05. With a strike rate of 46.4, he had 16 five wickets hauls and 3 ten wickets in a match to his name. From 1998 onwards, the veteran played 27 matches as he took 80 wickets at an average of 28.96, not to forget, his 4 five wickets haul and 1 ten wicket haul in a match.
Akram also holds a batting average of a modest 22.64, from his allotted 104 test matches. The veteran all-rounder has 3 centuries and 7 half-centuries to his name, with a highest of 257 not out against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045. During his prime from 1990-1997, Wasim led the charts amongst his fellow competitors in terms of wickets, bowling average, strike rate and five and ten wickets haul. Akram competed against the likes of Curtly Ambrose, Waqar Younis, Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
Akram is at the top of the list with 17 man-of-the-match performances from 104 games to his name. He also maintained the best man-of-the-match award rate of 6.12 in test cricket compared to any other player
His 414 wickets in test cricket speak for the veteran’s contribution and accomplishments in the longer version of the game. He is surely worthy of the No.1 position in the highest frequency of man-of-the-match awards among test bowlers of all time.
To be continued...
Tags: