England's 5 highest run-scorers in ODI World Cups ft. Joe Root
England are the defending champions of the Cricket World Cup. They defeated New Zealand in the final based on the boundary count after scores were tied in the 2019 edition at Lord's. Notably, that remains to be their only ODI World Cup win in the sport's history.
England are among the favorites for the 2023 World Cup too. Their attacking brand of cricket, which started under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, has produced terrific results across both the white ball formats.
This piece talks about the 5 highest run-getters for England in the ODI World Cup.
#1 Graham Gooch - 897 runs
Graham Gooch played three World Cups in his ODI career spanning 19 years. He scored 897 runs in 21 matches at an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of 63.25, scoring one century and eight half-centuries. The right-handed batter was also the captain of the 1992 World Cup, where England reached the finals.
Gooch's best World Cup campaign was in 1987. He scored 488 runs in eight innings at an average of 58.87 and a strike rate of 70.29. His most notable performance was his century against India (115 off 135 balls) in the semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium. He played two finals in his career, but ended up on the losing side on both occasions.
#2 Joe Root - 758 runs
Former Test skipper Joe Root has also been one of the most consistent batters in modern-day ODI cricket. He has scored 6246 runs in 151 innings at an average of 48.79 and a strike rate of 86.70. He was part of England's middle-overs engine - he scored a lot of runs at a good strike rate without getting out in the 11-40 overs phase of the game.
Joe Root was England's highest run-getter in the 2019 World Cup, scoring 556 runs in 11 innings at an average of 61.57 and a strike rate of 89.53. He scored hundreds against the West Indies and Pakistan and chipped in with valuable contributions against South Africa, Afghanistan, India, and Australia.
#3 Ian Bell - 718 runs
Ian Bell featured in 3 World Cups - 2007, 2011, and 2015. The elegant right-hand batter scored 718 runs in 21 innings at an average of 35.92 and a strike rate of 72.16, scoring six half-centuries in the mega event. While he did not quite have a standout tournament in either of the three attempts, he performed alright in 2015 when he opened the innings - 262 runs in 6 innings at an average of 52.40, a strike rate of 77.28 with three half-centuries.
Ian Bell's best World Cup knock has to be the half-century against India in the iconic tied game of the 2011 World Cup. Batting at number 4, Bell scored 69 off 71 balls in a run-chase of 339. He hit four fours and a six and rotated the strike really well with Andrew Strauss playing an all-timer at the other end. However, his wicket in the 43rd over triggered a collapse for the English team.
#4 Allan Lamb - 656 runs
South Africa-born Allan Lamb was one of the best middle-order batters for England in limited overs in the 20th century. His World Cup record is highly impressive - 656 runs in 17 innings at an average of 50.46 and a strike rate of 84.10. He has a lone hundred and three fifties to his name in three editions of this tournament.
Lamb's best campaign was certainly in 1987 when he scored 299 runs in 7 innings at an average of 59.80 and a strike rate of 94.92. He scored valuable half-centuries against West Indies and Sri Lanka in the group stage and had cameos in the semi-final (32* of 29) and the final (45 off 55) of the competition.
#5 Graeme Hick - 635 runs
Zimbabwe-born middle-order batter Graeme Hick was one of the most talented English batters of his time. His appetite for scoring runs was a hallmark of his 10-year-long international career. In World Cups, he scored 635 runs in 19 innings at an average of 42.33 and a strike rate of 74 with one century and six half-centuries.
Hick's most notable performance for England was against South Africa in the semi-final of the 1992 Cricket World Cup. He scored a match-winning 83 off 90 deliveries, walking in to bat at 39/2 with Gooch and Botham back in the hut in a rain-curtailed encounter.