In cricket, winning the Man of the match for fielding is a sporadic incident. Till now, only a few cricketers have done that. The Man of the match gives to the top batter or top bowler of that particular match because the batters and bowlers can win matches for his team single-handedly. But winning a match with only fielding is highly exaggerated. However, some fielding legends have often won matches for their teams only with their fielding. So in this article, we will look at five rare cricketers who won Man of the match for fielding.
5 Cricketers Who Won Man Of The Match For Fielding
5. Sir Viv Richards (West Indies)
Everyone remembers only his destructive batting when we hear the name, Viv Richards. He is a great player who has proven to scare many bowlers in cricket. However, Richards once won the Man of the Match award for his fielding.
The incident took place in 1989 during an ODI match against India. In that match, Richards took three crucial catches and played a crucial role in our team being all out for 165 runs. He also saved numerous runs with his fielding efforts. Although he did not bat in the chase, Richards was awarded the Man of the Match for fielding.
4. Mark Taylor (Australia)
This opening batsman from Australia has given sweet victories many times to his team with his class batting. But in 1992, he did a miracle. Taylor sustained the Man of the Match award for his eye-catching fielding in an ODI match reduced to 30 overs due to rain.
In the match against the West Indies, Australia batted first and was all out for 101. However, Taylor fielded on slips during the chase and showed some of the fielding wonders. He took four crucial catches that sank the West Indies batting lineup. The West Indies lost the match eventually, and they just managed to score 87 runs only. Taylor failed in the match with the bat but outshined on the field. Taylor was one of the rare cricketers who was awarded Man of the match for fielding.
3. Gus Logie (West Indies)
The West Indies cricketer won the Man of the Match award for his pure fielding. In 1986, there was only one match between Pakistan and the West Indies. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. But Gus was just amazed everyone with his top-notch fielding. He took 3 excellent catches and made a run-out to bang the Pakistan team.
Logie fielding wonders helped West Indies to all-out Pakistan for just 143 runs. In the chase, the West Indies openers didn’t give a chance to Logie to bat. The openers themselves took their team home with a good victory. The match officials selected Gus Logie as the Player of the Match for his brilliant fielding display. Gus Logie was the first cricketer to be awarded a Man of the Match for fielding.
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2. Jonty Rhodes (South Africa)
This name doesn’t need much introduction. Jonty Rhodes is the best fielder of all time who has proven that we can actually win matches with fielding. When it comes to fielding, Rhodes is still an inspiration for so many upcoming young cricketers.
The iconic South African fielder showed off his fielding miracles in 1993. Not one, not two, he took five eye-catching catches in a single match against the West Indies. Eventually, he won the match for his team single-handedly. Still, Rhodes holds the record of most catches in single ODI innings. Rhodes scored 40 crucial runs for his team, held instrumental in helping his team to reach a respectable total of 180 runs. However, Jonty has shown his superlative skills in the field led West Indies to a tragic loss. Rhodes adjusted as the Man of the Match for fielding performances in the match.
1. David Miller (South Africa)
All the players on the list named Man of the Match for their fielding feats in the 20th century. But David Miller became the Player of the Match in the modern cricket era with only his fielding. It happened in a T20 match against Pakistan in 2019. Batting first, Miller has disappointed by scoring 10 runs in South Africa innings. But the rest of the batsmen did well. The South African team scored a massive score of 192 runs.
In the chase, the Pakistan team headed towards the target. But Miller showed his fielding power that took the match away from Pakistan. He convicted the fall of Pakistan with lightning run-outs and some blinder of catches. David Miller produced two run-outs, and four catches in that match implied Man of the Match for fielding exploits. It is infrequent to see someone awarded Man of the match for fielding in the modern era of cricket.