When it comes to the ODIs, the top order – opening and no. 3 – is the place that will fetch you maximum runs if you are a batter. The common saying is that the top three positions are the best to accumulate runs as batsmen, as they are often laced with a lot of scoring opportunities.
If we notice, the top run-getters in ODI cricket are either openers or top-order batters. The top five run-getters, Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, and Sanath Jayasuriya, all form the core top order for their respective teams.
Each batting position has its own importance, and the teams generally have designated batters to fill in those slots. But as we go down the batting order, the quantity of runs goes down considerably.
Here, in this article, we list the players with the most runs in each batting position in ODI cricket.
Most Runs at Each Batting Position in ODI
| Position/No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opener | Sachin Tendulkar – 15310 | Sanath Jayasuriya – 12740 | Chris Gayle – 10179 | Rohit Sharma – 9536 | Adam Gilchrist – 9200 |
| No. 3 | Ricky Ponting – 12662 | Virat Kohli – 12552 | Kumar Sangakkara – 9747 | Jacques Kallis – 7774 | Kane Williamson – 6483 |
| No. 4 | Ross Taylor – 7690 | Mahela Jayawardene – 6947 | Aravinda de Silva – 6870 | AB de Villiers – 5736 | Javed Miandad – 5678 |
| No. 5 | Arjuna Ranatunga – 4675 | Steve Waugh – 4117 | Shakib Al Hasan – 4077 | Andrew Symonds – 3473 | Inzamam-ul-Haq – 3473 |
| No. 6 | MS Dhoni – 4164 | Michael Bevan – 3006 | David Miller – 2876 | Jos Buttler – 2490 | Mark Boucher – 2387 |
| No. 7 | Chris Harris – 2130 | Ravindra Jadeja – 2056 | Abdur Razzaq – 2007 | Shahid Afridi – 1858 | Elton Chigumbura – 1811 |
| No. 8 | Wasim Akram – 1208 | Chris Woakes – 1184 | Heath Streak – 1147 | Shaun Pollock – 1145 | Mitchell Santner – 1099 |
| No. 9 | Mashrafe Mortaza – 701 | Brett Lee – 630 | Daniel Vettori – 581 | Chaminda Vaas – 552 | Rashid Khan – 551 |
| No. 10 | Waqar Younis – 478 | Zaheer Khan – 416 | Abdur Razzaq – 358 | Kyle Mills – 344 | Muthiah Muralidaran – 337 |
| No. 11 | Trent Boult – 176 | Muthiah Muralidaran – 170 | Courtney Walsh – 165 | James Anderson – 162 | Shane Bond – 145 |
Key Insights on Leading Run Scorers by Batting Position in ODIs
Record-Breaking Top Order Milestones in ODIs
25 batters have scored 5000 or more runs while batting in the opening slot in ODIs. And the number truncates to 13 if we consider batters who have scored 7000 or more runs from that position.
Alongside being the top scorer, Sachin Tendulkar has smashed the most centuries as an opener in ODIs, with 45 tons to his name. (Check the top century-makers at each batting position in ODIs here.)
Rohit Sharma’s batting average of around 54 is the best for a batter who has faced a minimum of 5000 balls as an opener in ODIs.
At the all-important No. 3 position, eight batters have scored 5000 or more runs. Apart from the five mentioned, Babar Azam, Joe Root, and Dean Jones (5100) come in next.
Virat Kohli’s average of around 61 is the highest at this position (minimum 1000 balls faced). And Kohli has 45-plus tons while batting at 3, the most in this slot. (You can check out Virat Kohli’s ODI centuries list here.)
Middle Order Statistical Leaders at No. 4 and No. 5 in ODIs
At the No. 4 batting position in ODIs, a total of six batters have scored over 5000 runs, with the sixth one being Inzamam-ul-Haq (5175).
Ross Taylor has scored the most runs and centuries at No. 4, with 7690 runs and 19 centuries to his name.
AB de Villiers has the best batting average (53.11) at No. 4, followed by Ross Taylor’s 51.27 (minimum 5000 balls faced).
In the No. 5 slot, MS Dhoni (3169), Angelo Mathews (3116), Yuvraj Singh (3040), and Eoin Morgan (3008) are the other four batters to have accumulated 3000 or more runs.
At the No. 5 position, AB de Villiers has the highest average, having scored 2027 runs at 51.08 in 42 innings (minimum 1000 balls faced).
Yuvraj Singh has struck the most centuries at No. 5 in ODIs, with seven hundreds in his kitty.
Lower Order Contributions in ODIs
Mahmudullah (2201), Mushfiqur Rahim (2120), and Tillakaratne Dilshan (2046) are the other three batters to have scored 2000 or more while batting from the No. 6 position.
Jos Buttler and David Miller are the only two batters to score four or more tons from the No. 6 slot in ODIs.
Michael Bevan has the highest batting average at No. 6, having aggregated 3006 runs at 56.71 in 87 innings (minimum 1000 balls faced).
Only seven batters have scored 1500 or more runs while batting at No. 7, with Mahmudullah (1663) and Shaun Pollock (1633) being the other two batters outside the five.
The highest batting average at No. 7 belongs to MS Dhoni, who scored 949 runs at 44.76 in 34 innings (minimum 1000 balls faced).
Dhoni and New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell are the only two No. 7 batters to score two centuries.
Tail-End Achievements and Rare Lower-Order Centuries in ODIs
It is worth noting that Shaun Pollock has made over 1000 runs each, coming at both No. 7 and No. 8 in ODIs.
Thus far, only twice have we seen a century scored in the No. 8 or below batting positions in ODIs. Ireland’s Simi Singh and Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz have brought up hundreds while batting at No. 8 in ODIs. (Check out the highest individual scores at each position in ODIs here.)
Seven batters have mustered 500 or more runs while batting at the No. 9 position in ODIs.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir and Naseem Shah are the only two No. 11 batters to score a fifty in this format.
Notably, Mohammad Amir is the only batter with a fifty each at No. 10 and No. 11 positions in ODIs. He once struck an unbeaten 73 off 81 at No. 10, getting Pakistan to 204 in a 212-run chase against New Zealand in 2009.
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