By Aayush Kataria

Copyright timesnownews

Keshav Maharaj created history as he continued his golden run of form as South Africa defeated England 2-1 in a three-match ODI series, where the left-arm spinner had eight wickets at an average of 17.75. The 35-year-old took four wickets in the first ODI at Leeds before taking two scalps each at Lord’s and Southampton, which led to him winning the Player of the Series (POTS) award. Last month, the Proteas also won an ODI series in Australia by the same margin, where Maharaj won the POTS award for taking six wickets in three games. The veteran spinner took a five-wicket haul in the opening game at Mackay but went wicketless in the second match at Cairns before getting one wicket in the final match. Keshav Maharaj Creates History Maharaj became the first visiting player in history to win the POTS award in both England and Australia in an ODI series in the same calendar year. Infact, MS Dhoni and Lasith Malinga are the only other away players to have won the same prize in both countries in an ODI series. Visiting Players to Win MOTS Award In A Bilateral ODI Series In Both Australia and England PlayerMOTS In ODI Series in AustraliaMOTS In ODI Series in EnglandMS Dhoni20112019Lasith Malinga20102014Keshav Maharaj20252025Maharaj is also the first specialist spinner to win the MOTS award in an ODI series in both England and Australia. Meanwhile, Viv Richards (thrice), Mohammad Azharuddin, and Mudassar Nassar have won multiple MOTS awards in the ODI Series in England. No visiting player has won the award more than once in Australia after a bilateral ODI assignment. Also Read: SA20 2026 Auction: Player List, Purse Remaining, RTMs Left, Timing, Telecast, Streaming – All You Need To Know No player has won the MOTS award in a T20I series away to England and Australia, but the rare double has been achieved by Richard Haddlee, Curtly Ambrose, Rahul Dravid, Imran Khan, Graeme Smith, Jasprit Bumrah, Kapil Dev, and Malcom Marshall in Test cricket.