Little Master Sachin Tendulkar has secured the prestigious Man of the Tournament award at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.
Tendulkar's two points from the semifinal with Kenya, where he scored 83 and took two wickets, were enough to establish an unassailable lead of four points over captain Sourav Ganguly, an ICC release has said.
He has now scored 669 runs at an average of 66.90 during the tournament, a new record aggregate, with one century and six 50s.
Tendulkar is now also the heaviest scoring batsman in World Cup history, having passed Javed Miandad's previous career record.
Dr Ali Bacher, executive director of CWC 2003, said: "We wanted this to be the best World Cup ever, and Sachin's brilliant batting has helped the tournament captivate many millions of people around the cricketing world. He thoroughly deserves this accolade"
Sourav Ganguly's century in the Kenya game won him the Man of the Match award, but leaves him currently with 10 points, compared to Tendulkar's 14.
Legendary West Indies all rounder Sir Garfield Sobers will present Tendulkar with a gold trophy worth 500,000 Rand at the end of the World Cup final against Australia today, the release said.
The trophy, together with the gold watches awarded to all Man of the Match winners, have been donated by the Gold Mining Industries of South Africa.
The trophy, together with the gold watches awarded to all Man of the Match winners, have been donated by the Gold Mining Industries of South Africa.