The ICC Cricket World Cup has seen several legendary cricketers in its 48-year-long history who’ve turned the game with their stupendous performances time and again. Winning a World Cup is the ultimate dream of every nation, however, to achieve the biggest glory in the cricketing world a team requires several individuals with nerves of steel who can turn the game in their favour from the most precarious situations.
In the last 12 editions of the ODI World Cup, numerous players have performed exceptionally throughout the tournament to help their side get closer to the coveted trophy. From the 1992 edition onwards, a special ‘Player of the Tournament’ award started to honour their incredible performances.
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The first-ever Player of the Tournament award in World Cup history was given to legendary New Zealand captain Martin Crowe who scored 456 runs in nine innings. Sanath Jayasuriya took home the award in the 1996 edition for scoring 221 runs and picking seven wickets in the tournament.
Lance Klusener took the prestigious award home in the 1999 edition for scoring 281 runs and picking 17 wickets. The 2003 edition saw the legendary Sachin Tendulkar winning the award as his side faced a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final. Tendulkar finished as the highest run scorer of the tournament with a record 673 runs to his name.
Glenn McGrath signed off from his international career in style by finishing as the Player of the Tournament in the 2007 World Cup having scalped a record 26 wickets in the tournament. The 2011 edition witnessed one of the greatest all-round performances ever in the history of the tournament as Yuvraj Singh won the prestigious award for scoring 362 runs and picking 15 wickets.
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Mitchell Starc took home the coveted award in 2015 for guiding Australia to their fifth title win with 22 wickets while Kane Williamson won the award in the 2019 edition for scoring 578 runs and his excellent captaincy.
Checkout the Complete list of Player of the Tournament winners in ODI World Cup History here:
|
World Cup Edition |
Player of the Tournament Winner |
|
1992 |
Martin Crowe (456 runs, 9 innings) |
|
1996 |
Sanath Jayasuriya (221 runs, 7 wickets) |
|
1999 |
Lance Klusener (281 runs, 17 wickets) |
|
2003 |
Sachin Tendulkar (673 runs, 11 innings) |
|
2007 |
Glenn McGrath (26 wickets, 11 matches) |
|
2011 |
Yuvraj Singh (362 runs, 15 wickets, 9 matches) |
|
2015 |
Mitchell Starc (22 wickets, 8 matches) |
|
2019 |
Kane Williamson (578 runs, 11 matches) |
|
2023 |
TBA |