Cricket“Dhoni got ‘Man of the Match’ award for dropping catches”- Ex Pak spinner recalls the 2012 match
The former India Captain MS Dhoni has played 350 ODIs during his international career, but he has won the man of the match award only 21 times. With over 10,000 ODI runs, 321 catches as a wicketkeeper, and 123 stumpings, MS Dhoni has also won three ICC trophies as the Indian skipper. The legendary captain took his international retirement in 2020, but recently former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal recalled a match from 2012 between India and Pakistan, alleging unfair treatment as Dhoni won the player of the match award.
“Dhoni got the award for dropping to catches”- Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal talked about the third ODI of the India vs Pakistan series and indirectly stated that he should have won the award for wiping India out. During The Nadir Ali podcast, Ajmal said, “I think it was just bad luck. I bowled India out for just 175 in the third ODI, that was my only series in India”. The former stated that he bowled brilliantly in the first two matches as well, which were won by Pakistan, and he got a five-wicket haul in the third ODI, which is still his best bowling figure in an ODI.He further stated that MS Dhoni snatched the man of the match award for just scoring 18 runs and dropping two catches. It was unfair, according to Ajmal. He said” A player who did best in the game should have won the man of the Match award, but since India won that match, they gave Dhoni that award for dropping the catch”.
Ajmal never won the “Man of the Match” award in his career
Ajmal was ranked the world’s No. 1 bowler in ODIs and T20s at one point in his career, but is it quite surprising that he has never won a player of the match award in his career. In an ODI career of 113 matches, Ajmal has picked up two five-wicket hauls, one of which came in that third ODI against India. However, Ajmal’s description during the podcast was not fully true as India, although he took 5/25 wickets and India was all out for 167, Dhoni was the top-scorer with 36 runs, and another thing Ajmal mentioned wrong was Dhoni’s drop catches as there was only one difficult catch MSD couldn’t grab, and in fact he took the catch to dismiss Ajmal.
This match was not the only one where Ajmal felt that he was treated unfairly. He stated that during the ODI series against South Africa, he took four wickets in a match, but he still didn’t win the man of the match award, although he was named player of the series. It was the first Pakistan team to win an ODI in South Africa. “I gave a match-winning performance during the tour and still didn’t win any man of the match awards.” He said
