Winning the Man of the Match award in Test cricket is a challenging thing because the red-ball format tests the skills of the players to the fullest. It is quite tough for any player to produce such a performance which impacts the result of a match in Test cricket. However, over the years, there have been some heroic performances from the cricketers.
The purest format of the game tests the players a lot, but the players who back themselves and bring their ‘A’ game to the table come out shining in this format as well. In this listicle now, we will look at the top four players who dominated against a particular team in Tests and ended up winning more than five Player of the Match awards against them.
4. Ian Botham – 6 awards vs. Australia in Test cricket
Former England cricketer Ian Botham owns the record for the most Man of the Match awards for an English player in Ashes history. During his Test career, Botham produced multiple match-winning performances against the Aussies and won six Player of the Match awards.
3. Kumar Sangakkara – 6 awards vs. Pakistan in Test cricket
Former Sri Lankan cricket team captain Kumar Sangakkara enjoyed playing against Pakistan in the longest format of the game. The left-handed wicket-keeper batter had an exceptional record of winning six awards against Pakistan.
2. Curtly Ambrose – 7 vs. Australia
Former West Indies player Curtly Ambrose also owns seven Man of the Match awards against Australia. Both Ian Botham and Curtly Ambrose are known as legends of the game because they performed their best against the mightiest teams in the world.
1. Steve Smith – 8 vs. England
Most Player of the Match against a team in Tests:
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) July 2, 2023
8 – STEVE SMITH🇦🇺 v ENG
7 – Curtly Ambrose🏝️ v AUS
6 – Kumar Sangakkara🇱🇰 v PAK
6 – Ian Botham🏴 v AUS#ENGvAUS #Ashes
Current Australian Test vice-captain Steven Smith has set a new world record for the highest Man of the Match awards by a player against a particular team in Tests. Smith has won this award eight times, including the most recent match at the Lord’s cricket ground.
