Top 10 players with most man of the match awards in T20Is

Top 10 players with most man of the match awards in T20Is: T20 being the shortest format of International cricket right now, which forces players to be on their toes at all times to have a lasting impact on the game. The disadvantage though is that the number of overs they get to bowl and bat are very limited and hence they are expected to put in extra effort to capitalize on whatever opportunities they get. Let us have a look at the Top 10 players with most man of the match awards in T20Is: 10. Kevin Pietersen – 6: Kevin Pietersen. (© LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Kevin Pietersen is probably the most attacking batsman England have ever imported. He dominated spinners and pacers with as much ease. With his audacious switch hits, KP out thought the bowlers and inspired the next generation of players to add more shots to their textbook of batting. KP surely was a legend of the game, single-handedly powering England to win their only ICC tournament, the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean Islands. Do you know the players with most man of the match awards? – Top 10 players with most man of the match awards in international matches 9. Sanath Jayasuriya – 6: Sanath Jayasuriya. (© ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images) The Matara Mauler batted like every game was a T20 even before T20 came into existence, his ODI strike rate of 91.20 in an era where 80 was considered exemplary is proof to that. His cuts would scar the bowlers and give them nightmares. Purely believing on hand-eye coordination Jayasuriya made a mockery of the bowling on most occasions. Despite having a short T20I career, he went on to win 6 Man of the match awards in 31 games, i.e. an award almost every 5th game. 8. Brendon McCullum – 7: Brendon McCullum. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The most prolific run scorer in T20Is sits comfortably seventh on this list. Brendon McCullum who is naturally an attacking player had no problem in lighting up this format of the game too. It is in fact, T20 that made Brendon McCullum a household name, he rose to international prominence on the back of his T20 form. He has scored 2 T20I with a top score of a whopping 123. He has won 7 MoM awards and might end up being the player with MoM awards by the time he decides to hang his boots. 7. Yuvraj Singh – 7: Yuvraj Singh. (© Getty Images) Yuvraj, the name’s literal translation is Prince, but this Prince ruled. His 6 sixes off Stuart Broad is unforgettable and watching its highlights will leave you asking for more. Blessed with fast hands, Yuvraj timed the ball with immaculate perfection. He also remains one of the few batsmen who have hit more sixes than fours in T20I (63 sixes vs 61 fours). While the selectors have written him off, Yuvraj’s fans would love to see him make yet another comeback because that’s what champions like him do. 6. Mohammad Hafeez – 8: Mohammad Hafeez. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Hafeez has been one of the stars in Pakistan’s success in the T20 format. Batting at the top of the order, opening the bowling at times and even leading his side, there is hardly anything that Hafeez hasn’t done for Pakistan. Hafeez though, has been reported for suspect action a second time and there will be more pressure than ever on him going forward to sustain his international cricket purely on his batting. It will be interesting to see how Hafeez copes with this pressure in the coming months building up to the World T20 in India. 5. Virat Kohli – 9: Indian cricketer Virat Kohli (R) and Yuvraj Singh run between the wickets during the match between India and Pakistan at the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on February 27, 2016. AFP PHOTO/Munir uz ZAMAN / AFP / MUNIR UZ ZAMAN (Photo credit should read MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) The most dependable batsman Virat Kohli undoubtedly is one of the best batsmen for India, he is two ahead in the list of most man of the match awards with Yuvraj Singh among the Indians in T20Is. Kohli played 42 games compared to Yuvraj Singh’s 55 matches. He is also the only player to average above 50 in this format, shows his skills in the game. Virat Kohli’s 9 player of the match awards is also most by any Indian. 4. Chris Gayle – 9: Chris Gayle. (© Getty Images) This Jamaican is probably the most fear-inducing batsman in the world currently. Scoring boundaries for fun, he can take down any attack with his brute force. He began the 2007 World T20 with a bang, scoring a murderous 100, an innings which consisted of 10 huge sixes. Gayle is always a threat when he is at the crease and adding patience to his batting in the recent past, he has added another facet to his game. It would be amazing to watch what Chris Gayle will bring to the World T20 in its next edition in India where he is widely cheered. 3. Mohammad Shahzad – 9: Mohammad Shahzad. (Photo Source: ICC) Mohammad Shahzad from Afghanistan surprisingly sits at No.3 on this list. This wicket-keeper batsman from Afghanistan might still be rung to miss out on the plane for Australia in the World Cup this year but a couple of fifties in the World T20 Qualifiers held in Ireland might have made the Afghan think tank regret their decision of dropping him. Shahzad’s most success has been against Associate nations but now that Inzamam-ul-Haq is the coach of the Afghanistan team, Shahzad would love to extend his form against full member teams. 2. Shane Watson – 9: Shane Watson. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Shane Watson, one of the top all-rounders in limited overs cricket, loves this format. He has had a lot of injury trouble throughout his career. This format was naturally suitable for him as he would have to bowl lesser overs and enabling him to give his 100%. Hitting sixes at will on his day, Shane Watson, who recently retired from Test cricket, would like to win the only silverware that has eluded him. The upcoming World T20 that would add another feather in his illustrious cap. 1. Shahid Afridi – 11: Shahid Afridi. (© GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images) If most players were born to play cricket, T20 was a format tailor-made suit this Pathan from Pakistan. Afridi who held the record for the fastest century in ODIs for almost 18 years enjoys every bit of this format. In the later years of his career, Afridi transformed himself into a match-winning spinner who could tonk the bowlers if need be. After the loss in the 2007 Finals of the World T20, Afridi made sure that his efforts in the 2009 edition in England didn’t go in vain. He scored half-centuries in both, semi-finals and the finals leading Pakistan to its first silverware since 1992 World Cup. While no one has a clue how old Afridi really is, I expect him to play at least for another decade, it would be really fun to watch him play in the 2025 Interplanetary T20 to be held on Mars. Jokes apart, Afridi is one of the legends of the game and will be hoping to lead his side well in the next World T20, which unfortunately might be his last. What is the record for the fastest centuries in T20Is? – Top 10 fastest centuries in T20 Internationals (All Stats Updated Till 27th March 2016)