A batsman’s performance in One Day International (ODI) cricket is often judged by the number of runs they score. Some of the most successful batsmen in ODI cricket have scored thousands of runs, establishing themselves as some of the greatest players in the history of the game. These batsmen are remembered for their skill, consistency, and ability to score runs against top-quality bowling attacks. In this article, we discussed the top 5 batsmen who scored the most runs in ODI cricket of all time.
Most Runs in ODI Cricket
Here is a list of the top 5 cricketers with the most ODI runs.
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Kumar Sangakkara
- Ricky Ponting
- Sanath Jayasuriya
- Virat Kohli
1. Sachin Tendulkar | IndiaÂ
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is one of the greatest ODI batsmen of all time in cricket history. Sachin’s records in ODI cricket are extraordinary and fans and players alike call him the “God of Cricket”. Tendulkar is the leading run scorer in ODI and the only player in the World to score 15,000, 16,000, 17,000, and 18,000 runs in One day International. He made his ODI debut in 1989 against Pakistan at Karachi stadium. He played 463 One Day International (ODI) matches, scoring 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83 including 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries in ODIs. Tendulkar’s highest score in ODIs is 200 not out, which he scored against South Africa in 2010.
He is the first player to score a double century and the only player to score the most centuries in ODI cricket. The “Master Blaster” is the first player to score over 2000 runs in the ODI world cup and the only player to score 1894 runs which are the most runs in ODI in a single year and is still a record. Tendulkar has won numerous awards and accolades for his performances on the cricket field, including the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, in 2014.
2. Kumar Sangakkara | Sri LankaÂ
Kumar Sangakkara is the second-highest run-scorer and the first wicket-keeper batsman to score more than 10,000 runs in ODIs. He is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who is one of the greatest batsmen of all time. His ODI debut was in 2000 against Pakistan. He played 404 matches and scored 14,234 runs at an average of 41.98 with 25 centuries and 93 fifties. Sangakkara is knowing for his elegant and charming batting style.
Sangakkara is the first and only batsman in World Cup history to score 4 consecutive centuries. The only Sri Lankan player to score the fastest century in an ODI World Cup.
He is the only Sri Lankan player to score 14,000 ODI runs and one of the few players to score more than 100 international centuries in his career. Sangakkara was named the greatest ODI player of all time in a public poll conducted by Cricket Australia in 2016. He retired from ODI cricket in the 2015 ODI World cup.
Also Read: Most Test Runs in a Calendar Year
3. Ricky Ponting | Australia
Ricky Ponting is 3rd on the list of most runs scored in ODI. He made his ODI debut in 1995 and played 375 ODIs scoring 13,704 runs at an average of 42.03 with 30 centuries and 82 fifties. In ODI cricket, Ponting is the first player to score a century against all Test-playing nations. He is the highest run scorer for Australia and the third most century-scoring in ODI cricket.
In 1996, Ponting became the youngest batsman to score a century in the World Cup. Ponting was knowing for his aggressive and dominant batting style. He was also a successful ODI captain and led Australia to two World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007. For his best performance in ODIs, he won Australia’s best one-day international awards in 2002 and 2007. Ponting retired from ODI cricket in 2012.
4. Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri lankaÂ
Jayasuriya is the only player to score over 10,000 runs and more than 300 wickets in ODI cricket and is one of the best all-rounders in the history of ODI cricket. He made his ODI debut in 1989 against Australia. He played a total of 445 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Sri Lanka, scoring 13,430 runs at an average of 32.36, with 28 centuries and 68 half-centuries. Jayasuriya scored a career-best 189 against India which is the highest ODI innings by a Sri Lankan player. He is the only player in history to score two consecutives 150+ in ODI cricket.
In ODI cricket, Jayasuriya holds the records for the fastest fifty (17 balls), fastest 100 (48 balls), and the fastest 150 (95 balls) for Sri Lanka. He was a key member of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 cricket World Cup. He won 47 man of the match awards in ODI which is the 2nd highest after Sachin Tendulkar (62).
5. Virat Kohli | IndiaÂ
Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batsmen of all time and in the current Era. Kohli is the fastest player to score 8000, 9000, 10,000, 11,000, and 12,000 runs in ODI cricket. He is fifth on the list for the highest runs scored in ODI cricket, broke Jayawardene’s record, and moves fifth on the list. Virat has played in 271 One Day International (ODI) matches for India, scoring 12,809 runs at an outstanding average of 57.69 including 46 centuries and 64 fifties in ODI cricket. He is the 2nd on the list who scored the most centuries in ODI cricket behind Sachin Tendulkar.
He scored the most ODI centuries while chasing the target. Virat Kohli is knowing for his aggressive and attacking style of batting.
Also Read: Most Test runs for Pakistan in Test Cricket History
Honorable MentionsÂ
5. Mahela Jayawardene | Sri lanka
Mahela Jayawardene is sixth on the list of the most runs scored in ODI. His ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 1998. He played 448 ODIs for Sri Lanka scoring 12,650 runs at an average of 33.37 including 19 hundred and 77 fifties in ODI cricket. His career-best 144 against South Africa in 2006. Jayawardene is one of the best ODI batsmen of all time, and his record speaks for itself. He is the only batsman to score a century in a World Cup final and semi-final. Jayawardene was also a skilled captain, leading Sri Lanka to victory in several major tournaments.
List of Most Runs in ODI Cricket:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Avg | HS | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 463 | 18426 | 44.83 | 200* | 49 | 96 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 404 | 14234 | 41.98 | 169 | 25 | 93 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 375 | 13704 | 42.03 | 164 | 30 | 82 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 445 | 13430 | 32.36 | 189 | 28 | 68 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 268 | 12809 | 57.69 | 183 | 46 | 64 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 448 | 12650 | 33.37 | 144 | 19 | 77 |
| Inzamam ul Haq (PAK) | 378 | 11739 | 39.52 | 137* | 10 | 83 |
| JH Kallis (SA) | 328 | 11579 | 44.36 | 139 | 17 | 86 |
| SC Ganguly (IND) | 311 | 11363 | 41.02 | 183 | 22 | 72 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 344 | 10889 | 39.16 | 153 | 12 | 83 |
| MS Dhoni (IND) | 350 | 10773 | 50.57 | 183* | 10 | 73 |
| CG Gayle (WI) | 301 | 10480 | 37.83 | 215 | 25 | 54 |
| BC Lara (WI) | 299 | 10405 | 40.48 | 169 | 19 | 63 |
| TM Dilshan (SL) | 330 | 10290 | 39.27 | 161* | 22 | 47 |
| Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) | 288 | 9720 | 41.71 | 141* | 15 | 64 |
| AC Gilchrist (AUS) | 287 | 9619 | 35.89 | 172 | 16 | 55 |
| AB de Villiers (SA) | 228 | 9577 | 53.50 | 176 | 25 | 53 |
| RG Sharma (IND) | 241 | 9782 | 48.91 | 264 | 30 | 48 |
| M Azharuddin (IND) | 334 | 9378 | 36.92 | 153* | 7 | 58 |
| PA de Silva (SL) | 308 | 9284 | 34.90 | 145 | 11 | 64 |
| Saeed Anwar (PAK) | 247 | 8824 | 39.21 | 194 | 20 | 43 |
| S Chanderpaul (WI) | 268 | 8778 | 41.60 | 150 | 11 | 59 |
| Yuvraj Singh (IND) | 304 | 8701 | 36.55 | 150 | 14 | 52 |
| DL Haynes (WI) | 238 | 8648 | 41.37 | 152* | 17 | 57 |
| LRPL Taylor (NZ) | 236 | 8607 | 47.55 | 181* | 21 | 51 |
Most Runs in ODI 2021:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Avg | HS | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR Stirling (IRE) | 14 | 705 | 54.23 | 131* | 3 | 2 |
| JN Malan (SA) | 8 | 509 | 84.83 | 177* | 2 | 2 |
| Tamim Iqbal (BAN) | 12 | 464 | 38.66 | 112 | 1 | 4 |
| HT Tector (IRE) | 14 | 454 | 37.83 | 79 | 0 | 4 |
| A Balbirnie (IRE) | 14 | 421 | 32.38 | 102 | 1 | 3 |
| Mushfiqur Rahim (BAN) | 9 | 407 | 58.14 | 125 | 1 | 2 |
| Babar Azam(PAK) | 6 | 405 | 67.50 | 158 | 2 | 1 |
| Mahmudullah (BAN) | 12 | 399 | 49.87 | 76* | 0 | 4 |
| Fakhar Zaman (PAK) | 6 | 365 | 60.83 | 193 | 2 | 0 |
| PWH de Silva (SL) | 14 | 356 | 27.38 | 80* | 0 | 3 |
Most Runs in ODI 2022:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Avg | HS | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MG Erasmus (NAM) | 21 | 956 | 56.23 | 121* | 1 | 8 |
| V Aravind (UAE) | 21 | 781 | 41.10 | 115* | 2 | 4 |
| Aaron Jones (USA) | 19 | 770 | 45.29 | 123* | 1 | 5 |
| MD Patel (USA) | 19 | 769 | 40.47 | 130 | 1 | 5 |
| CS Macleod (SCOT) | 16 | 736 | 49.06 | 133* | 2 | 5 |
| SS Iyer (IND) | 17 | 724 | 55.69 | 113* | 1 | 6 |
| SD Hope (WI) | 21 | 709 | 33.45 | 127 | 3 | 2 |
| SSJ Brooks (WI) | 21 | 694 | 34.70 | 101* | 1 | 4 |
| S Dhawan (IND) | 22 | 688 | 34.40 | 97 | 0 | 6 |
| Babar Azam (PAK) | 9 | 679 | 84.87 | 114 | 3 | 5 |
Conclusion:
This article is based on which cricketer scored the most runs in ODIs of all time. We would appreciate it if you could leave your thoughts in the comment section if you enjoy this article. All Information on the stat is from Cricinfo.
QUESTIONS
Which batsman scored most runs in ODI cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) is the leading run-scorer in ODI.
Which batsman scored most runs in a calendar year in ODI cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar (1,894) is the highest number of runs in ODI in a calendar year.
Who scored the most runs in ODI in 2021?
PR Stirling (705)
Who scored the most runs in ODI in 2022?
MG Erasmus (Namibia) scored 956 runs in 2022.