The Indian women’s cricket team was led by Smriti Mandhana in a best and brilliant manner over New Zealand in the Women’s World Cup, where she made a really nice and very helpful 109 runs, guiding her team to a significant win.
This single display not only secured India’s spot in the semifinals of the tournament but also rewarded Mandhana with the usual recognition, which is the Player of the Match award. The latest award by this latest honor, Mandhana has become an inevitable part of the exclusive group, as far as most Player of the Match awards in the Women’s ODI cricket history is concerned.
The question arises about which of these women cricketers are the ones, who, if not the top, at least look to be each other’s equals, when it comes to the most rewards?
Most Player Of The Match Award In Women’s Cricket
4) Ellyse Perry & Charlotte Edwards (17 POTM awards)
This list begins with the legendary Australian cricketer Ellyse Perry and the former captain of the England team Charlotte Edwards. The records of both these players are really impressive and they have also been awarded 17 times as a Player of the Match, which speaks to their great prowess and versatility as cricketers.
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Ellyse Perry has made 4427 runs and taken 166 wickets over her 163 matches with an average of 48.64, while Charlotte Edwards’ numbers are 5992 runs from her 191 WODIs. Though it seems like Perry was an all-rounder and earned her fair share of POTMs in terms of bowling, Edwards was the mainstay batter in the top order of England’s batting line-up and hence, his/her scoring of runs was of prime importance as well.
3) Smriti Mandhana (18 POTM awards)
With her 18 Player of the Match awards, Smriti Mandhana ranks on the third spot of this list, with the latest one being given for her splendid performance against New Zealand Women. She scored 109 off 95 balls, a brilliant innings which gave her team a lead as India went on to post a gigantic total of 340 runs.
The cricketer born in Maharashtra has played 114 ODIs since her debut, during which time she has accounted for 5219 runs at an average of 48.32. Besides, she has scored 14 ODI centuries and 34 fifties, thereby continuing to be a graceful batting force for the Women in Blue at the top of their batting order.
2) Mithali Raj (20 POTM awards)
Mithali Raj, the finest female batter of India, has achieved 20 Player of the Match awards in Women’s ODIs, which speaks about her class and consistency. With her astonishing skill and temperament, she managed to score 7,805 runs in 232 WODIs during a career that lasted for over two decades, averaging 50.68 with seven centuries and 64 fifties among her runs.
Mithali Raj, the only Indian captain, male or female, to take the team to two ODI World Cup finals, ruled her era with her grace, patience, and technical skills. Apart from her aggressive shot-making and calmness in leadership roles, she is the all-time women’s ODI leading run-scorer as well.
1) Stafanie Taylor (28 POTM awards)
Stafanie Taylor is the player on top of the prestigious list with the highest number of Player of The Match awards in Women’s ODIs. One of the greatest West Indies cricketers, Taylor got 20 POTMs on her service. When she was at the height of her career, she had played 170 ODIs and made 5,873 runs at an average of 42.25 which included sevens centuries and 41 fifties, and also took 155 wickets with her smart off-spinning.
The fabulous all-rounder from Jamaica made the record in 2013 when he became the sole player to lead the ICC ODI rankings for both batting and bowling at the same time. An inherent leader, Taylor also played a pivotal role in West Indies winning their first-ever ICC Women’s World T20 title in 2016, for which she was also named Player of the Tournament.
