In this “For the Record” article, we are going to take a look at players who have scored most runs in a single world cup edition till now. Read the blog to find out which players have scored most runs in a world cup.
Rohit Sharma in World Cup 2019
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England turned out as the run feast for India’s ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma scored the highest runs in the 2019 world cup. Rohit Sharma finished the marquee Tournament with most runs in the world cup. In 9 matches of the World Cup, Sharma cast a spell on all bowlers and went on to amass 648 runs.
David Warner, the stylish Australian opener, finished the World Cup just 1 run short of Rohit Sharma. What was interesting to note that the highest run-getters in the World Cup were openers – Rohit Sharma and David Warner!
India, the two times World Cup champs, had something to chew on even after they could not make it to the Final of the 2019 edition.
Rohit Sharma, the Vice-Captain of the Indian Cricket Team, was the higher run-scorer.
England finally won its maiden World Cup after waiting for 44 years. They beat New Zealand in a thrilling Super Over based on the number of more fours scored.
Rohit Sharma enjoyed a dream run during the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. He scored 648 runs in 9 matches, and it was done at an average of 81. The destructive opener also hit 5 stunning hundred and a 50.
Sharma also achieved a rare feat in the World Cup. He became the only batsmen in the history of World Cup to score 5 centuries in a single edition.
His only bad outing was against the Black Caps. It was when he was dismissed on 1 in the heartbreaking Semi-Final that India lost.
You would be amazed to know that he was only 27 runs short of breaking another record in World Cups. Yes, he was only 27 runs away from breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 673. It is the most number of runs ever scored in a World Cup.
Rohit had a rare failure Vs New Zealand. And it meant that Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 673 runs continues to remain intact for a good 4 year until 2023.
Rohit Sharma is not the only Indian batsmen to have finished as the leading run-scorer in a single edition of the World Cup. In fact, he is the 3rd batsman from India to do so. Before him, it was the ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar, who charmed the audience with his stunning display with the bat. Yes, the original ‘Run Machine’ topped the tables in the 1996 and 2003 World Cups.
The 648 runs scored by Rohit is the 3rd highest in a single World Cup after Sachin (673) and Mathew Hayden. The Former Australian opener had made 659 runs in the 2007 edition.
David Warner finished the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup with 647 runs in 10 games at an average of 71.88. His performance was studded with 3 tons and 3 fifties. Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh all-rounder, stood 3rd. He made 606 runs in 8 games. And it was equipped with 5 fifties and 2 hundred at an average of 86.57.
Joe Root (England) and Kane Williamson (New Zealand) were the only batsmen who had a chance to go past Rohit Sharma. But both of them were dismissed cheaply in the Final. Root needed 100 runs to topple Sharma. He made 556 runs with 2 tons and 3 fifties at an average of 68.62.
But, Kane ended up scoring 578 runs at 96.33 average in 10 matches with 2 hundred and 2 fifties. Williamson also broke the record for the highest number of runs scored by a Captain in the World Cups.
Kane went past Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka’s Skipper during the 2007 World Cup) of 548 runs. These two are followed by Ricky Ponting, Aaron Finch, and AB de Villars.
Mr 360 had scored 482 runs in 2015, 507 by Finch in 2019, and 539 in 2007 by Ponting.
List of top 10 Batsmen with most runs in a Single World Cup Edition
| S No | Player | World Cup Edition | Mat | Inns | NO* | Runs | HS | Avg | Balls Faced | SR | 100 | 50 |
| 1 | SR Tendulkar (INDIA) | ICC World Cup (in Kenya/South Africa/Zimbabwe), 2002/03 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 673 | 152 | 61.18 | 754 | 89.25 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | ML Hayden (AUS) | ICC World Cup (in West Indies), 2006/07 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 659 | 158 | 73.22 | 652 | 101.07 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | RG Sharma (INDIA) | ICC Cricket World Cup (in England), 2019 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 648 | 140 | 81 | 659 | 98.33 | 5 | 1 |
| 4 | DA Warner (AUS) | ICC Cricket World Cup (in England), 2019 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 647 | 166 | 71.88 | 724 | 89.36 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | Shakib Al Hasan (BDESH) | ICC Cricket World Cup (in England), 2019 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 606 | 124* | 86.57 | 631 | 96.03 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | KS Williamson (NZ) | ICC Cricket World Cup (in England), 2019 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 578 | 148 | 82.57 | 771 | 74.96 | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | JE Root (ENG) | ICC Cricket World Cup (in England), 2019 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 556 | 107 | 61.77 | 621 | 89.53 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | DPMD Jayawardene (SL) | ICC World Cup (in West Indies), 2006/07 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 548 | 115* | 60.88 | 644 | 85.09 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | MJ Guptill (NZ) | ICC Cricket World Cup (in Australia/New Zealand), 2014/15 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 547 | 237* | 68.37 | 523 | 104.58 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | KC Sangakkara (SL) | ICC Cricket World Cup (in Australia/New Zealand), 2014/15 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 541 | 124 | 108.2 | 511 | 105.87 | 4 | 0 |
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