Winning an ICC tournament is a dream for every cricketer. However, sometimes, although the cricketers perform very well in the tournament, things could take an undesired route in the final. In what is a bitter-sweet ending, we have players 5 players who lost in ICC tournament finals but were awarded as the Man of Series of that tournament. We talk about five such players in this article.
1) Sachin Tendulkar – ICC 50-over World Cup (2003)
Tendulkar at 2003 WC – Matches: 11 || Runs: 673 || Average: 61.18 || Strike Rate: 89.25
Sachin Tendulkar was at his best in the 2003 World Cup held in South Africa. The master blaster was, obviously, the highest run-scorer in the competition. He struck six fifties while also scoring a century against Namibia. The Mumbai cricketer also took two wickets in the semi-final against Kenya.
However, all of it came crashing down when Sachin was part of the team that lost to Australia in the final. Chasing a mammoth target of 360, Sachin scored just four runs in the final, before surrendering his wicket to Glenn McGrath.
2) Kane Williamson – ICC 50-over World Cup (2019)
Williamson at 2019 WC – Matches: 9 || Runs: 578 || Average: 82.57 || Strike Rate: 74.96
Kane Williamson is yet another cricketer who lost in ICC tournament finals but was awarded as the Man of Series of that series. Worse, Kane had to it as the captain of his side.
It was a fantastic campaign for the Kiwi at the 2019 ICC World Cup. The fourth highest run-getter at the event, Kane scored consecutive hundreds against South Africa and West Indies. Most importantly, the right-hander was magnificent with his captaincy decisions. Especially in the close semi-final against India, his field placements led the opposition to lose the game at the end. For his evidently spectacular contribution, he was given the Man of the Tournament award. However, Kane had lost to England in the finals of the competition.
3) Shahid Afridi – ICC World T20 (2007)
Afridi at 2007 World T20 – Matches: 7 || Runs: 91 || Wickets: 12 || Economy: 6.71
Shahid Afridi was a fearless cricketer, who knew no ends to his attacking intent. At the same time, the former Pakistani skipper was a shrewd leg-spinner. Despite losing the final of the first World T20 to India, Afridi was announced as the Player of the Tournament.
Afridi was the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament. Some of his scalps included the likes of Brendon McCullum, Andrew Symonds and Mahela Jayawardene. He also turned up with the bat in one game, where he scored 39 runs of just 15 balls against his Bangladeshi opponents. The final, though, was not memorable as he could not manage any wickets and was also golden duck out.
4) T Dilshan – ICC World T20 (2009)
Dilshan at 2009 World T20 – Matches: 7 || Runs: 317 || Average: 52.83 || Strike Rate: 144.75
Tillakaratne Dilshan was an underrated cricketer throughout this career. Batting along with heavyweights such as Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, Dilshan carved a niche of his own. The 2009 World Cup was one occasion where he was in top form.
He was the highest run-scorer of the tournament, and his batting performance included an excellent 96* in the semi-final against West Indies. However, the opener scored a duck in the final, and Sri Lanka eventually lost to Pakistan.
5) Virat Kohli – ICC World T20 (2014)
Virat at 2014 World T20 – Matches: 6 || Runs: 319 || Average: 106.33 || Strike Rate: 129.15
Virat Kohli has won the Man of Tournament in World T20 on two occasions, once in 2014 and then in 2016. However, in the former tournament, India also reached the finals but lost to Sri Lanka. Hence, he is also one of the players who lost in ICC tournament finals but were awarded as the Man of Series of that tournament
It was around that time that Virat was coming into his own in T20Is. He scored an important knock in every game. Starting from the carefully constructed 36* in the first game against Pakistan to the unreal 72* against South Africa in the semis, Virat was in fine form. He also scored 77 runs off 58 balls in the final but eventually ended on the losing side.
