Top Run Scorers in ODI World Cup History

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More than a third of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is over and we have already witnessed some extraordinary cricket being played in the tournament.

From India finding their way to come out on top after being heckled by the Australian pacers in Chennai to Afghanistan and the Netherlands upsetting England and South Africa respectively, we have seen a lot in the competition so far.

On the batting front, we have seen some exquisite batting performances from a few players.

The Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been absolutely fiery and have scripted their names in the top 5 in the list while New Zealand’s Devon Conway and Pakistan’s Muhammad Rizwan have impressed the critics significantly.

Having started in 1975, ODI Cricket World Cups are held once every four years. As a result, finishing as the top run-scorer in a Cricket World Cup is a rare honour - one which only 11 cricket players have been able to achieve to date.

Interestingly, three batters competing in the 2023 edition of the quadrennial event, feature on the list of top 10 highest run-getters in World Cup history. Here, we have a look at those 10 batters:

Highest Run Scorers in Cricket World Cup:

1) Sachin Tendulkar | 2278 runs

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, meanwhile, remains the only player to have scored the most runs in a Cricket World Cup more than once. The Little Master led the scoring charts with 523 runs in the 1996 World Cup and in 2003, he piled up 673 runs.

In fact, Sachin Tendulkar’s 673 runs from 10 matches at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa still stands as the record for the most runs scored by an individual batter in a single ODI Cricket World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar is also the highest run scorer in ODI World Cup history with 2,278 runs in 44 innings across five editions. The tally includes six centuries and an astonishing 15 half centuries.

2) Ricky Ponting | 1743 runs

Ricky Ponting is another living legend of modern cricket. He is considered one of the most successful captains in the history of cricket and led Australia to win two consecutive World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007.

Under his leadership, Australia became the most feared and dominant cricket team in the world. However, Ponting was an accomplished batsman himself and is the second-highest run scorer in the ICC World Cup. Ponting scored 1743 runs in 42 innings with a highest score of 140 not out. He played in five world cups.

3) Kumar Sangakkara | 1532 runs

Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara features at the third position on this list with 1532 runs.

Sangakkara accumulated the runs at an average of 56.74 in 35 innings. He is also the highest run-scorer in the competition’s history to not finish his career with a World Cup trophy.

Astonishingly, the southpaw hammered four back-to-back hundreds during the 2015 World Cup. Bangladesh, England, Australia, and Scotland emerged as the four victims of Sangakkara’s berserk batting form.

Unluckily, his side could not beat the eventual World Cup champions Australia despite his 104-run knock. Eight years later, the Sri Lankan still remains the only batter in the history of ODIs to hit four consecutive hundreds.

4) Virat Kohli | 1289 runs

Modern-day batting maestro Virat Kohli has amassed 1289 runs in ODI World Cups at a striking average of 53.70 and a strike rate of 87.38.

Before the start of the 2023 edition of the tournament, Virat was not a part of this list, but an accumulation of 259 runs in four innings so far has helped him move to the number four spot.

Recently, the 34-year-old reached his third ton in the competition’s history as he struck 103 unbeaten runs against Bangladesh in Pune. Apart from three hundreds, Virat Kohli has eight World Cup fifties to his name.

Notably, Virat is one of those rare players who have scored a hundred on their ODI World Cup debut.

5) Rohit Sharma | 1243 runs

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has 1243 ODI World Cup runs to his name. The right-hander has an extraordinary average of 65.42 and an excellent strike rate of 102.55. Just like Virat, Rohit Sharma was not a part of this list prior to World Cup 2023.

In this World Cup, the 36-year-old has already struck 265 runs in four innings and is on his way to repeat the 2019 World Cup heroics. During the last edition, Rohit scored 648 runs in just nine innings.

Appreciably, Rohit Sharma holds the record of most centuries in ODI World Cups. He has smacked as many as seven centuries along with four half-centuries in just 21 innings so far.

6) Brian Lara | 1225 runs

After Sachin Tendulkar, West Indies’ Brian Lara is counted as the greatest modern cricketer.

Known for his fabulous batting, Brian Lara holds records for the highest individual score in first-class cricket (501*) and test cricket (400*).

In the Cricket World Cup, Lara made 1225 runs in 33 innings with a top score of 116.

7) Ab de Villiers | 1207 runs

South Africa’s AB de Villiers is seventh on the current list of players with the most runs in the ICC World Cup.

De Villiers is a fan-favorite due to his explosive and blitzing batting. He is often called “Mr. 360” for his ability to hit the ball at every corner of the field.

De Villiers also enjoyed remarkable success at the World Cup. He scored 1207 runs in just 22 innings and three World Cup editions

8) Shakib Al Hasan | 1201 runs

One of the all-time greatest all-rounders to play the ODI format is Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan.

The left-handed batter has often found himself at the top of the ICC Men’s ODI rankings for all-rounders.

With the bat, his impact on Bangladesh has been outstanding over the years. In 32 World Cup innings, Shakib has accumulated 1201 runs at an average of 42.89 and a strike rate of 81.58.

Appreciably, Shakib is also the 11th-highest wicket-taker in the history of ODI World Cups. The left-arm spinner has grabbed 39 scalps at an average of 34.82 and an economy of 5.08.

9) Chris Gayle | 1186 runs

Jamaican powerhouse Chris Gayle smacked 1186 runs in 35 ODI World Cup matches for the West Indies. The southpaw had an average of nearly 36 and a strike rate in excess of 90 across the five editions of the tournament.

In 2015, Gayle became the first batter to hit a double hundred in a World Cup game.

10) Sanath Jayasuriya | 1165 runs

One of Sri Lanka’s finest all-rounders, Sanath Jayasuriya, scored 1165 runs for his team in 38 World Cup innings at an average of 34.26 and a strike rate of 90.66.

Apart from six half-centuries, Jayasuriya smacked three hundreds during the five World Cups he was a part of.