The first ever ODI World Cup edition took place in 1975 in England and was won by the West Indies. Since then, every four years, fans have been treated to the ODI World Cup. So far, there have been 12 editions in its history, with Australia winning five of them. India and the West Indies have also won two editions each.
Then, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England have won one tournament each. Every tournament distributes some big awards to some outstanding performers throughout the entire season. “ICC Player of the Tournament” is a big award given to the player who had incredible performances in a single World Cup edition. The ICC has been giving this award since the 1992 World Cup. So let’s check the list of winners for his award.
List of Man of the Tournament in ODI World Cup
| Player | Team | WC | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Crowe | New Zealand | 1992 | 456 runs |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 1996 | 221 runs and 6 wickets |
| Lance Klusener | South Africa | 1999 | 281 runs and 17 wickets |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 2003 | 673 runs and 2 wickets |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 2007 | 26 wickets |
| Yuvraj Singh | India | 2011 | 362 Runs and 15 wickets |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 2015 | 22 Wickets |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 2019 | 578 runs and 2 wickets |
1. Martin Crowe (NZ) – 1992 World Cup
Former Kiwi captain Martin Crowe was the first player to receive “Player of the Tournament” in the 1992 World Cup. He was the highest scorer in the tournament and helped his team reach the semi-final. Crowe scored 456 runs in nine innings at an average of 114, with one century and four half-centuries.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) – 1996 World Cup
Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup, and one of the prime reasons for their success was Sanath Jayasuriya. The all-rounder had an amazing performance throughout the season. He scored 221 runs and took six wickets to help his team win the title and become the second player to win Player of the Tournament.
3. Lance Klusener (SA) – 1999 World Cup
South Africa has played in four World Cup semi-finals and lost all of them. One of their semi-final appearances came in 1999, when Lance Klusener had an exceptional all-round performance. He scored 281 runs with the bat and took 17 wickets with the ball. But his journey was cut short with a loss in the semi-final. He was rewarded as the Player of the Tournament for his performance.
4. Sachin Tendulkar (IND) – 2003 World Cup
India reached the final of the 2003 World Cup but lost to Australia to finish as runners-up. But Sachin Tendulkar set the record for the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup in that tournament. He scored 673 runs (208 more than the second-ranked batter) in 11 innings, with one century and six half-centuries. Sachin became the Player of the Tournament and Golden Bat winner in the same edition.
5. Glenn McGrath (AUS) – 2007 World Cup
Glenn McGrath holds the record for the most World Cup wickets in history. Australia won the 2007 World Cup to make it three in a row, and McGrath was one of the architects of that win. He ended the tournament as the highest wicket taker and won the Golden Ball. His performance was so impactful that he also became Player of the Tournament. In 11 games, he took 26 wickets at an average of 13.73.
6. Yuvraj Singh (IND) – 2011 World Cup
One of the best all-round performances of all time in an ICC tournament came in 2011, when Yuvraj Singh became the Player of the Tournament. India won the World Cup after 28 years under MS Dhoni, and Yuvraj was an important part of that team. He scored 362 runs with one century and four half centuries and also took 15 wickets with a best of 5/31.
7. Mitchell Starc (AUS) – 2015 World Cup
Australia won their fifth World Cup in 2015 under Michael Clarke, beating New Zealand in the final. One of the main reasons for them was Mitchell Starc. The left-arm pacer was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He took 22 wickets in just 8 games at an economy rate of 3.50 and a best of 6/28. Starc won the Player of the Tournament award.
8. Kane Williamson (NZ) – 2019 World Cup
Many would argue that Rohit Sharma (648 runs), David Warner (647 runs), or Shakib Al Hasan (606 runs and 11 wickets) were the contenders, which is why Kane Williamson was given Man of the Tournament in the 2019 World Cup. The reason was pretty clear because he played many crucial knocks and single-handedly helped his team win some matches. Williamson scored 578 runs in 9 innings with two centuries and two half-centuries in 2019.