Hashim Amla: The fastest batsman to 5000 ODI runs
Hashim Amla is, as of 16th June 2017, the fastest batsman to reach 5000 ODI runs (in terms of the number of innings). He completed the record on 16th January 2015, just under seven years after his debut.
The right-hander took just 101 innings to reach the milestone, thirteen matches ahead of the next fastest, West Indian legend, Viv Richards and Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
He is one of five batsmen to have reached 5000 ODI runs in fewer than 125 matches. The others include: his captain, AB de Villiers (124 innings), who did it in 2012, Sir Viv Richards (114 innings), who did it in 114 innings, Gordon Greenidge (121 innings), who did it in 121 games and Brian Lara (118 innings), who did it in 1997. The record for the fastest to 5000 runs was held by Sir Viv for 28 years before it was broken by Amla.
Amla holds the record for the fastest to 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 ODI runs and comes in eleventh on the fastest to 1000 runs. He has scored 7186 ODI runs in 153 innings. Consequently, he will need 814 runs in 21 innings to beat Virat Kohli’s record of scoring 8000 runs in 175 innings and continue his unparalleled achievements with the bat.
Since coming to the scene in 2008, he has averaged above 40 in every year, except 2013 and 2016, where he averaged in the high 30s. Amla’s consistency over the years in international cricket, and stellar form in the 2017 edition of the IPL is a sign that he is far from stopping.
The 34-year-old’s grace and unique style of coming all the way across the wicket have won him laurels in all formats. And he is one of the few batsmen to average above 50 in both ODIs and Test cricket for most of his career.
The ten fastest batsmen to 5000 runs comprise of three South Africans, three West Indians, two Indians, an Australian and a New Zealander:
Player | Innings taken to reach 5000 | Matches taken to reaches 5000 |
|---|---|---|
Hashim Amla (SA) | 101 | 104 |
Sir Viv Richards (WI) | 114 | 126 |
Virat Kohli (IND) | 114 | 120 |
Brian Lara (WI) | 118 | 120 |
Gordon Greenidge (WI) | 121 | 122 |
AB de Villiers (SA) | 124 | 129 |
Sourav Ganguly (IND) | 126 | 121 |
Dean Jones (AUS) | 128 | 121 |
Graeme Smith (SA) | 131 | 133 |
Martin Guptill (NZ) | 132 | 135 |