Highest run-getters in each World Cup - Who will it be in 2015?
The quarter-finals are over and the semi-finals are on. The top four ranked ODI teams are into the semi-Finals, what more could you ask for? The race for being the highest run getter in this tournament is also on, a table that sees fast and frequent changes.
After first two matches, Kumar Sangakkara was nowhere in the top run getters list. With four centuries in as many matches he has got to top of the table and was a strong contender for finishing as the highest run getter of the tournament. Similarly Brendan Taylor with more than 250 runs in his last two matches ended up as the second highest run getter at the end of the group stages. Sangakkara, Taylor and de Villiers were in the top three.
In the quarter-finals, Martin Guptill’s unbeaten 237 has changed the table considerably. He has taken his tally to 498 now with a semi-final in hand and if New Zealand wins it, he has a final to play as well. One big innings from AB de Villiers is enough for another similarly huge change in this table, however.
Let’s see how the table changed after every week in this World Cup.
|
Week |
Highest |
Second highest |
Third highest |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 (till February 20) |
157 - Brendon McCullum |
138 - David Miller |
135 - Aaron Finch |
|
2 (till February 27) |
255 - Chris Gayle |
217 - AB de Villiers |
210 - Shikhar Dhawan |
|
3 (till March 6) |
279 - Chris Gayle |
270 - Shaiman Anwar |
268 - Kumar Sangakkara |
|
4 (till March 13) |
496 - Kumar Sangakkara |
417 - AB de Villiers |
395 - Tillakaratne Dilshan |
|
End of first round |
496 - Kumar Sangakkara |
433 - Brendan Taylor |
417 - AB de Villiers |
|
End of Quarter-Finals |
541 - Kumar Sangakkara |
498 - Martin Guptill |
433 - Brendan Taylor |
Brendon McCullum began the World Cup with a bang and was the highest run-getter in the initial stages. With his double century, Chris Gayle became the highest run-getter. Gayle failed to score big in the next matches, and with consecutive centuries to his name, Sangakkara topped the table. And he remains at the top even after the quarter-finals but his team hasn’t qualified for the semi-finals – thus his tally will remain the same.
Guptill (498), AB de Villiers (417), Shikhar Dhawan (367) are the ones with 350+ runs among the batsmen who will play the semi-finals. Who will end up as the highest run-getter?
|
World Cup |
Batsman |
Runs |
Inns |
Avg |
100s/50s |
Best |
Team performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1975 |
Glenn Turner |
333 |
4 |
166.50 |
2/0 |
171* |
Semi-Finals |
|
1979 |
Gordon Greenidge |
253 |
4 |
84.33 |
1/2 |
106* |
Winners |
|
1983 |
David Gower |
384 |
7 |
76.80 |
1/1 |
130 |
Runner-Ups |
|
1987 |
Graham Gooch |
471 |
8 |
58.87 |
1/3 |
115 |
Runner-Ups |
|
1992 |
Martin Crowe |
456 |
9 |
114.00 |
1/4 |
100* |
Semi-Finals |
|
1996 |
Sachin Tendulkar |
523 |
7 |
87.16 |
2/3 |
137 |
Semi-Finals |
|
1999 |
Rahul Dravid |
461 |
8 |
65.85 |
2/3 |
145 |
Super-Sixes |
|
2003 |
Sachin Tendulkar |
673 |
11 |
61.18 |
1/6 |
152 |
Runner-Ups |
|
2007 |
Matthew Hayden |
659 |
10 |
73.22 |
3/1 |
158 |
Winners |
|
2011 |
Tillakaratne Dilshan |
500 |
9 |
62.50 |
2/2 |
144 |
Runner-Ups |
|
2015 |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
What is interesting to note is the teams’ performance column in the above table. It can be seen that only twice was the highest run-getter was from the winning side! And only three times was he from the runners-up side!
In 1999, the highest run-getter was Rahul Dravid and the Indian team had reached only the stage of Super-Sixes.
Hence, how important it is for a team to have their batsman as the top scorer of the tournament and win the trophy? As per the above results, it doesn’t matter.
|
World Cup |
Champions |
Batsman |
Runs |
Inns |
Avg |
100s/50s |
Best |
Highest run getter # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1975 |
West Indies |
Alvin Kallicharran |
197 |
5 |
49.25 |
0/2 |
78 |
6 |
|
1979 |
West Indies |
Gordon Greenidge |
253 |
4 |
84.33 |
1/2 |
106* |
1 |
|
1983 |
India |
Kapil Dev |
303 |
8 |
60.60 |
1/0 |
175* |
5 |
|
1987 |
Australia |
David Boon |
447 |
8 |
55.87 |
0/5 |
93 |
2 |
|
1992 |
Pakistan |
Javed Miandad |
437 |
9 |
62.42 |
0/5 |
89 |
2 |
|
1996 |
Sri Lanka |
Aravinda de Silva |
448 |
6 |
89.60 |
2/2 |
145 |
3 |
|
1999 |
Australia |
Steve Waugh |
398 |
8 |
79.60 |
1/2 |
120* |
2 |
|
2003 |
Australia |
Ricky Ponting |
415 |
10 |
51.87 |
2/1 |
140* |
3 |
|
2007 |
Australia |
Matthew Hayden |
659 |
10 |
73.22 |
3/1 |
158 |
1 |
|
2011 |
India |
Sachin Tendulkar |
482 |
9 |
53.55 |
2/2 |
120 |
2 |
|
2015 |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Hence, will the team whose batsman has the highest number of runs in the tournament lift the trophy, or will this trend continue? To be learnt on 29th March.