The Man of the Match award is usually bagged by the swashbuckling batsman who lead the team to victory. Then there are the bowlers who pick up crucial wickets with their sensational bowling skills, guiding the team to unexpected wins. But in 1986, a member of the West Indies team was awarded Man of the Match even when he did not bat or bowl during the match!
Fielders have won the MoM award for their exceptional fielding skills, as is evident by the spectacular skills Jonty Rhodes displayed during the 1992 World Cup. However, it was the West Indies' Gus Logie who for the first time received the Man of the Match award purely for his fielding.
In a 1986 Champions Trophy clash between the West Indies and Pakistan at the Sharjah Stadium, Logie as adjudged the Man of the Match having pulled off three impressive catches and two run-outs. The West Indies player managed to take out Pakistan's openers and Ijaz Ahmed with superb catches, and then went on run out Asif Mujtaba and to directly hit the stumps from square leg to dismiss Javed Miandad.
This was the first time in international cricket history that a fielder was given the Man of the Match award without having batted or bowled! West Indies managed to dismiss Pakistan for 143 and won the match by nine wickets.
