Five cricket stats that could surprise you

#4 Chris Scott is the only groundsman to be awarded a man of the match

Curator Chris Scott with Umpire Marais Erasmus

The Man of the Match award is given to recognize the best performance of the game. Batsmen and Bowlers are the usual suspects for the award. Game-changing fielding performances have also helped players get that man of the match award.

In a few occasions, the award has been presented to multiple players and teams as well. But in December 2000 when South Africa took on New Zealand, Chris Scott, the head groundsman of the Wanderers stadium was awarded the man of the match.

Heavy rains resulted in no play on the first day and with the damage, it had caused, play for day 2 seemed impossible. Due to the extraordinary efforts of the groundsmen, an entire day of play happened with 99 overs. Persistent rains resulted in the calling off day 3 & 4.

Despite knowing that a result was impossible, Scott and his team worked tirelessly to make the ground fit for play on day 5. To appreciate the magnificent effort, the match officials decided to award the man of the match to Chris Scott.