6 Instances when Cricketer received weird Man of the Match awards

Every cricketer has a dream of representing his/her country and helping the team win matches on numerous occasions. If a player showcases his talent at the right time, he/she is selected as the Man of the match. Winning Man of the Match Awards is very prestigious for any player in any sport. Players bring out their best to win the Man of the Match Awards. But there are some occasions when they are surprised after receiving the award for their game and there are few instances when cricketers have received weird man of the match awards and in this feature, we will discuss 6 instances when the awards were quite weird. Let’s see who the players were and what award they received. 

1. Luke Wright (Blender in Dhaka Premier League)

England’s Luke Wright is on the list because he was the one who received Blender as Man of the Match award. England’s power hitter, who can also bowl, often participates in T20 tournaments throughout the world received a blender for his match-winning performance.

Luke Wright would’ve never expected this, nor any other international star. After he received the award, he also posted the picture on his Twitter handle. This was one of the most hilarious moments in the cricketing world.

2. Eoin Morgan (Rice cooker in Dhaka Premier League)

In 2013 current limited-overs captain of England, Eoin Morgan received a Rice cooker as his Man of the Match award. The world cup winning captain played DPL and this turned out to be one of the most surprising moments. Morgan played the game under pressure and was later awarded the pressure cooker. Eoin Morgan is the first England captain to win a world cup and made the country proud in 2019.

The power hitter who is known for his attacking batting would’ve never expected such an award for his outstanding performance in the match. 

3. Jhye Richardson (Bat grip and Shoelaces)

Australian young speedster Jhye Richardson received Bat grip and Shoelaces for his outstanding performance against India in 2018-19. Jhye Richardson is one of the finest youngsters, capable of taking quick wickets and keeping the batsman under pressure. On an international level, no one expects to receive such an award, but he was the one who got that.

Jhye Clinched 4 wickets by giving 26 runs as Australia defeated India in the very first match of the series. On the International level, receiving such an award is a bit surprising and weird. Jhye Richardson was picked by Punjab Kings in IPL 2021. 

4. Sunshine Snacks in Caribbean Premier League (Snacks hamper)

Caribbean Premier League is one of the finest and the most entertaining T20 leagues and many International cricketers participate in this league. For running a tournament, sponsors are required, and CPL also had many sponsors to run the league successfully.

Sunshine snacks being one of the sponsors of the league provides snacks hampers which consist of nuts and chips hampers for the Player of the Match award and the player’s images with the hampers were quite popular on social media during the league.

5. 2.5 Kg Fish in a tournament in Kashmir

Till now, we saw players receiving a blender, rice cooker, bat grip and snacks. But this is something that should be given attention because the award given here was 2.5 Kg of fish. Isn’t this something different and new? In a tournament in Kashmir players were given 2.5 Kg of fish as their man of the match award. 

The league was played in Kashmir’s Tekipora Kupwara. Because of such an award, this league became popular on social media and many users felt that this was one of the most useful awards in the cricketing world. 

6. Groundsman winning the Man of the Match

Without groundsmen, a game of cricket isn’t possible. Who would’ve ever thought that any groundsman can win the Man of Match? But in December 2000 the third test was to be played between South Africa and New Zealand at Wanderers. Due to rain Day, 1 was washed out but, the groundsman Chris Scott and his team made sure that the game was played on Day 2. 

Again the rain washed out and on Day 3 and 4 the game wasn’t played, but Chris Scott and his dedicated team made the ground ready, and Day 5 was successfully conducted. But the game ended in a draw and South Africa won the series 2-0 and because of the hard work of Groundsman Steve Scott, he was declared as the Man of the Match. So, here’s the list of 6 instances when cricketers received Man of the match awards but in a weird way.