ABP Live Sports Stats: International cricket has produced some truly iconic batters, but only a select few have managed to dominate across formats and eras to become the highest run-scorers in the game’s history.
From timeless Test match masters to modern-day white-ball greats, these players have built staggering records through consistency, skill and longevity. Their achievements across Tests, ODIs and T20Is continue to define what greatness looks like in international cricket.
With a plethora of runs, countless milestones and unforgettable innings between them, these cricketing legends have set benchmarks that may never be matched. With that said, let’s take a look at the top five international run-scorers in the history of the sport.
Top 5 Cricketers With Most International Runs
5) Mahela Jayawardene
Sri Lanka’s legendary batsman Mahela Jayawardene ranks 5th among top international run-scorers in cricket, having hit 25,957 runs.
He was active internationally from 1997 to 2015. In 2011, he scored a ton against India in the final of the ICC World Cup, and while Sri Lanka lost that match, Jayawardene did lift the T20 World Cup three years later.
4) Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting was one of the most fiercest batsmen in international cricket. He used to battle for the most international centuries with Sachin Tendulkar in the 2000s, and across formats, hit 27,483 runs in his career from 1995 to 2012.
The Australian great won three ICC World Cups, two as skipper, leading one of the most feared teams in cricket history.
3) Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara is another batting legend from Sri Lanka, who captained them to the 2011 World Cup Final and the 2014 T20 World Cup victory.
As a pure batsman, Sangakkara scored 28,016 runs in his international career that lasted from 2000 to 2015. Nowadays, he is involved in managing the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
2) Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the only active cricketer on this list, and recently became the fastest player ever to hit 28,000 international runs.
As of this writing, Kohli has scored 28,068 and is poised to greatly increased that tally, even in the twilight years of his stellar career.
1) Sachin Tendulkar
The God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, to no one’s surprise, ranks number 1 as the highest international run-scorer of all time, and by some margin.
In a career that spanned from 1989 to 2013, Tendulkar smashed a whopping 34,357 runs across ODIs, Tests, and T20Is, establishing a record that would be extremely hard to match, let alone surpass.
Interestingly, Kohli and Tendulkar won their first ICC World Cup together. The former then went on to lift the ICC Champions Trophy twice (which Tendulkar won in 2002), as well as the T20 World Cup in 2024.
