Top 10 Best Batsmen With Highest Career Scores In ODI, Test, And T20 Combined

July 7, 2021 By Admin

Batsmen are the key to cricket's success. It is not uncommon for batsmen to score runs with stunning strokes. Some make runs with patience and grit. Bowling attacks are often destroyed by players who perform astonishingly. Here we listed the best batsmen with highest career scores in all three formats.

These legends with bats are also known to win impossible matches with their brilliant art with the bat. Some legends set a legacy by achieving the top score in all formats. With their skills and hard work, these players entertained the cricket fans in their entire careers.

Batsmen with Highest Career Scores | ODI, Test, & T20 | Combined Stats 2021

10. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)
9. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
8. Brian Lara (West Indies)
7. Virat Kohli (India)
6. Rahul Dravid (India)
5. Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
4. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
3. Ricky Ponting (Australia)
2. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
1. Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Don’t Miss

• Batsmen With Highest Scores – All-Time Infographics
• FAQs regarding Batsmen with Most Runs

Cricket is not only one of the most popular sports in the world but also the most followed sports in India. But, this sport has seen several great batsmen who scored remarkable amount of runs in their careers. And here they are!

10. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)

Cricket Career: 1994 to 2015
Total Runs: 20,988
Average: 45.72 (52.27 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 41 Centuries & 125 Half-Centuries

Chanderpaul was born on 16 August 1974 in Guyana and became the West Indian cricket team captain when he was 22 years old. He is a Guyanese cricketer of Indian descent. His achievements include being the first Indo-Caribbean to play 100 Tests for the West Indies. Besides his batting prowess, he is also regarded as one of the greatest fielders in cricket history.

Chanderpaul is regarded as one of the best batsmen with the highest scores of his era. During his West Indian career, Chanderpaul captained his team in 14 tests and 16 one-day internationals. Chanderpaul, a left-handed batsman, has been described as having an unorthodox batting stance that resembles a crab. As an international cricketer, he has scored 20,000 runs.

The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him one of the top five cricketers of 2008. Accordingly, he won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) from the International Cricket Council. The cricketer made his international debut at the age of 19, but there was no century during the following three years, leading to some criticism.

Early in his career, he consistently injured himself, which even led to the premature label of hypochondriac until a floating piece of bone was removed from his foot in 2000. After that, he has continued to flourish, scoring more than 11,000 runs in Test cricket, and is currently the eighth highest-scoring player of all time.

9. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)

Cricket Career: 1989 to 2011
Total Runs: 21,032
Average: 34.14 (81.17 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 42 Centuries & 103 Half-Centuries

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya was born 30 June 1969 in Kuliya, Kandy. Jayasuriya is well known for his brilliant ODI performances and his power striking. He was known for being one of the best offensive batsmen of his era. Besides having a charismatic cricketing career, he was also one of the highest-paid cricketers of his time.

It is believed that Jayasuriya's explosive batting with Romesh Kaluwitharana in the mid-1990s transformed one-day international cricket. It was this game that initiated all nations' aggressive batting strategies. All-rounder Jayasuriya had a career that spanned four decades in international cricket. As a one-day international cricketer, he is the only player to score over 10,000 runs and take more than 300 wickets.

Throughout his limited-overs career, he won 48 or more Man of the Match awards and 11 Player of the Series awards, so he is considered one of the best all-rounders in the game's history. The 1996 Cricket World Cup awarded him the Most Valuable Player trophy. While he hadn't played the previous season in England, the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him one of five Cricketers of the Year in 1997 despite his absence from the field.

Additionally, Jayasuriya captained Sri Lanka's cricket team from 1999 to 2003. Jayasuriya scored more than 21000 in all three formats during his career and is known as one of the best batsmen with the highest scores in ODI history.

8. Brian Lara (West Indies)

Cricket Career: 1990 to 2007
Total Runs: 22,358
Average: 46.28 (68.08 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 53 Centuries & 111 Half-Centuries

Known as one of the greatest batting icons of all time, Brian Charles Lara was born in Trinidad on 2 May 1969. As a batsman, he topped the Test batting rankings several times. He holds several records in cricket. This includes the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket. Needless to say, Lara is surely among the greatest left-handed batsmen the cricketing world has ever seen.

Warwickshire's 501 not out against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994. It is the only quintuple century in first-class cricket history. During the 2004 Antigua Test, Lara set a record for the highest score ever by an individual in a Test inning of 400 not out. When he scored 28 runs from one over by South Africa's Robin Peterson in 2003, Lara holds the record for the highest number of runs scored in a single over in a Test match.

Lara scored more than 22000 runs in his entire career and is known as one of the best batsmen with the highest scores in ODI, Tests, and ODIs. According to Wisden, Sri Lanka's 153 not out against Australia in Bridgetown; Barbados in 1999 is the second-best performance by a Test cricketer in history.

One of the greatest spinners of all time and the highest wicket-takers in Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket, Muralitharan ranked Lara as the toughest opponent career. He compiled the prestigious list of the World's Leading Cricketers in 1994 and 1995 and was also one of only three cricketers who collected BBC's Overseas Sports Personality Award.

7. Virat Kohli (India)

Cricket Career: 2008 to Present
Total Runs: 22,875
Average: 55.65 (79.96 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 70 Centuries & 115 Half-Centuries

The current captain of the Indian cricket team is Virat Kohli, who was born on 5 November 1988. The right-handed top-order batsman has earned a reputation as one of the world's best batsmen right now. The Indian skipper is not just one of the great batsmen but also one of the most popular cricketers of all time.

Besides playing domestic cricket for Delhi, he has been captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2013 in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 2012, Kohli was named vice-captain of the ODI team. And he inherited the Test captaincy after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from Test cricket. Earlier this year, after Dhoni stepped down, he was made the limited-overs captain as well. In ODIs, Kohli is second in the world for centuries, and in run chases, he leads the world in centuries.

He is the fastest cricketer in ODI history to score 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 runs. Kohli is the Indian batsman with the best test rating (937 points), ODI rating (911 points), and T20I rating (897 points). Kohli achieved the feat of being one of the best batsmen with the highest scores in all formats with more than 22000 runs.

Many awards have been granted to Kohli, including the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2017 and 2018; ICC Test Player of the Year 2018; ICC ODI Player of the Year 2012 and many others. ESPN ranks Kohli as one of the world's most famous athletes, and Forbes ranks him one of the most valuable athletes. According to Time magazine, Kohli is one of the world's 100 most influential people.

6. Rahul Dravid (India)

Cricket Career: 1996 to 2012
Total Runs: 24,208
Average: 45.41 (51.98 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 48 Centuries & 146 Half-Centuries

The former captain of the Indian national cricket team, Rahul Sharad Dravid, was born on 11 January 1973. Currently, he oversees all cricket operations for the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Besides India A, he also supervises India's under-19 and under-20 cricket teams. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Dravid won several matches for India almost singlehandedly.

His previous coaching experience includes leading the India Under-19 and India A teams from 2016 to 2019. The under-19 international squad that he coached came in second place in 2016 and first at the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The under-19 international team that he coached came in second place in 2016 and first at the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

Dravid became NCA's new head in 2019. The batting technique he uses in international cricket has helped him score 24,177 runs and make him one of the best batsmen with the highest scores in cricket history. In Indian cricket circles, he is generally known as Mr Dependable and called The Wall.

As The Wall, he was hailed by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as one of the top five cricketers of the year in 2000. And at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony in 2004, he won both Player of the Year and Test Player of the Year honors. He made history by delivering the Bradman Oration in Canberra as the first non-Australian cricketer to do so.

5. Jacques Kallis (South Africa)

Cricket Career: 1995 to 2014
Total Runs: 25,534
Average: 49.10 (56.30 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 62 Centuries & 149 Half-Centuries

Former cricketer and South African cricket coach Jacques Henry Kallis was born on 16 October 1975. He was generally regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time. He was South Africa's greatest batsman and an excellent left-arm speed-medium swing bowler. His career statistics include more than 10,000 runs and more than 250 wickets, including ODIs and Tests. Without any doubt, Kallis is one of the greatest all-rounders the South Africa soil has ever produced.

In addition, he took 131 catches in ODIs. With 13,289 runs scored and 292 wickets taken, he landed 200 catches in his Test match career. Throughout his career, Kallis played 166 Test matches and averaged over 55 runs per innings. The four-Test matches Kallis played between October and December 2007 produced five hundred. By surpassing Ricky Ponting, he became the second-most successful century-maker in Test cricket behind Sachin Tendulkar.

The opening day of the first Test against New Zealand saw Kallis become the fourth player and the first South African to reach 13,000 Test runs. He was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2013. At Durban in December 2013, he announced his retirement from first-class and test cricket; Kallis scored his 45th Test hundred in this match, making him one of the few players to achieve this feat in his final Test.

On 30^th July 2014, he has retired from all forms of international cricket. Likewise, Kallis played for his country, representing Wales against England in the 2002 Natwest Challenge. In all three formats, Kallis scored more than 25000 runs and is one of the best batsmen ever.

4. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

Cricket Career: 1997 to 2015
Total Runs: 25,957
Average: 39.15 (64.73 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 54 Centuries & 136 Half-Centuries

Mahala Jayawardene is the head coach and ex-player of Sri Lanka's cricket team. Mahela was one of the most successful captains for Sri Lanka and is known as a premier batsman. In August 1997, he made his Test cricket debut; the following season, he took part in his first One Day International (ODI). One of the most hard-hitting batsmen, Jayawardene, has been the pivotal force for several successes of the Sri Lankan side.

The partnership Jayawardene made with Kumar Sangakkara for the third wicket in Sri Lanka's first test match against South Africa in 2006 was the biggest ever in cricket. They scored 624 runs for the third wicket in the competitive game. The former Sri Lankan captain is the first player in the history of Sri Lankan cricket to score over 10,000 Test runs and the second player after Sanath Jayasuriya to score over 10,000 ODI runs. Sri Lanka National Sports Council Chairman Mahela Jayawardene currently serves in this role.

Sri Lankan batsman Jayawardene has scored the highest test score by a right-handed batsman in history, 374 against South Africa. Among his successes was the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 victory, while he also played in the finals of three previous ICC World Twenty20 competitions. This is including the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2009 ICC World Twenty20.

Jayawardene is known as one of the best batsmen with the highest scores of more than 25000 runs in all three formats. In 2006, Jayawardene was named the best international captain of the year by the International Cricket Council. And in 2007 he was named the greatest Test cricketer of the year.

3. Ricky Ponting (Australia)

Cricket Career: 1995 to 2012
Total Runs: 27,483
Average: 45.95 (68.48 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 71 Centuries & 146 Half-Centuries

Originally from Australia, Ricky Thomas Ponting is a cricket coach, commentator, and former player. In 324 matches, he achieved a winning ratio of 67.91%. These stats make him one of the most successful captains of international cricket history. He served as Australian national team captain during the team's "golden era" between 2004 and 2011. Besides, Ponting is truly among the most successful cricket captains the world has ever seen.

A Batting specialist, excellent slip/close-catching fielder, and very occasional bowler, he plays right-handed. During the decade of 2000, he was named the "Cricketer of the Decade." Two years in a row, he led Australia to two victories in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 and 2009.

The Australian cricketer is the all-time leader in run-scoring in Tests and ODIs after making over 160 appearances in Tests and 370 in ODIs. His 13,000 Test runs make him one of only four players in history to achieve this. He accumulated 48 victories in 77 Test matches between 2004 and 31 December 2010. These victories make him one of the most successful Test captains in history.

In his playing career, Ponting is the only cricketer to win 100 tests. Moreover, he was associated with 262 wins as a player, a record that he holds. He scored over 27000 runs in all forms of the game and is known as one of the great batsmen with the highest scores who ever lived.

2. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Cricket Career: 2000 to 2015
Total Runs: 28,016
Average: 46.77 (66.56 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 63 Centuries & 153 Half-Centuries

An international legend, Sangakara has been consistently ranked among the top three batsmen in the ICC rankings in all three formats during his extensive career. The Sri Lankan veteran batted in all formats across 16 years of international cricket. Scoring 28,016 runs and known as one of the best batsmen with the highest scores. One of the greatest wicketkeepers of all time, Sangakkara was also a dominating force during his heydays.

In ODI cricket, he was the second-highest run-scorer, after Sachin Tendulkar and Test cricket, the sixth-highest. Besides that, Sangakkara is a left-handed top-order batsman and was a wicketkeeper for many years in his career. Test cricketer Kumar Sangakkara holds numerous test records. He was the fastest to reach various milestones of test cricket.

As a team, Sangakkara and Jayawardene were second in Test cricket's history regarding the partnership. Furthermore, he holds the record for the most significant number of wicketkeeping dismissals in ODI cricket. While playing cricket, Sangakkara won numerous awards and was a member of several world-class teams.

In the 2012 and 2015 editions of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, he was named the Leading Cricketer in the World, becoming only the second player to win this award twice. According to a public poll conducted by Cricket Australia in 2016 for the greatest ODI player of all time, Sangakkara ranks as the best. In the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 finals, he was named Man of the Match. He was also a member of the 2007 Cricket World Cup team that reached the final.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Cricket Career: 1989 to 2013
Total Runs: 34,357
Average: 48.52 (67.58 Strike Rate)
Centuries: 100 Centuries & 164 Half-Centuries

Former Indian international cricketer and Indian national team captain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born on 24 April 1973. His batting skills have made him one of the greatest cricketers in history. Currently, he has scored more runs in international cricket than anyone else. Almost all the cricket pundits widely regarded him as the greatest cricketer ever to grace the pitch.

Tendulkar is the first player to score a double century in a One Day International (ODI) with more than 100 international centuries. The only player to have completed more than 34,000 runs in international cricket and the record holder for the most runs in all formats.

The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the Wisden history book celebrating 150 years of cricket, enlisted him in its all-time Test World XI in 2013. "Little Master" or "Master Blaster" is his affectionate nickname. In 1989, Tendulkar debuted at the age of sixteen in his first Test match against Pakistan in Karachi.

For nearly 24 years, he represented Mumbai in Indian and international competitions. He is rated the second-best Test batsman in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, behind Don Bradman, and the second greatest player in ODIs, behind Viv Richards.

Final Words

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Most Career Scores In Cricket | All-Time Infographics

FAQs Regarding Batsmen With Highest Scores

Q. Who scored the highest runs in T20?

It is India's current captain and one of the best batsmen of all time, Virat Kohli, who holds the record for the most runs scored in a T20 international circuit with 3,159 runs till 2021.

Q. Who scored maximum runs in cricket?

With over 34,000 runs across all formats of international cricket, Indian legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most runs in any one format.

Q. Who scored 400 in a Test match?

As of 2021, West Indian legendary batsmen Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in international test match cricket with 400 runs.

Q. Who hit 300 runs in ODI?

In the history of ODI cricket, Rohit Sharma is the only player to have hit three double hundreds, and he also holds the record for the highest individual score. When it comes to hitting 300 points, Rohit Sharma is definitely capable.