10 Fastest to 5000 Runs in ODI Cricket

 

Cricket is a game of data and stats. We, fans, cherish cricketing milestones. In ODIs, scoring 5000 runs in considered a great achievement. In this article, we are going to talk about the top 10 batsmen in ODI history to reach 5000 runs in the minimum number of innings. On our list, there are 3 players from the West Indies, 2 each from India and South Africa and one each from Australia, England and New Zealand.

Player	Opposition	Ground	Match Date	Debut	Time	Mat	Inns
HM Amla (SA)	v West Indies	Durban	16 Jan 2015	9 Mar 2008	6y 313d	104	101
IVA Richards (WI)	v England	Melbourne	30 Jan 1987	7 Jun 1975	11y 237d	126	114
V Kohli (INDIA)	v West Indies	Kochi	21 Nov 2013	18 Aug 2008	5y 95d	120	114
DA Warner (AUS)	v India	Mumbai	14 Jan 2020	18 Jan 2009	10y 361d	117	115
JE Root (ENG)	v West Indies	Bridgetown	20 Feb 2019	11 Jan 2013	6y 40d	122	116
Q de Kock (SA)	v England	Cape Town	4 Feb 2020	19 Jan 2013	7y 16d	116	116
BC Lara (WI)	v South Africa	Lahore	3 Nov 1997	9 Nov 1990	6y 359d	120	118
S Dhawan (INDIA)	v New Zealand	Napier	23 Jan 2019	20 Oct 2010	8y 95d	119	118
KS Williamson (NZ)	v England	Wellington	3 Mar 2018	10 Aug 2010	7y 205d	125	119
CG Greenidge (WI)	v Pakistan	Multan	13 Nov 1990	11 Jun 1975	15y 155d	122	121
AB de Villiers (Afr/SA)	v England	Southampton	28 Aug 2012	2 Feb 2005	7y 208d	129	124
F du Plessis (SA)	v Sri Lanka	Centurion	6 Mar 2019	18 Jan 2011	8y 47d	131	125
SC Ganguly (INDIA)	v Pakistan	Adelaide	25 Jan 2000	11 Jan 1992	8y 14d	131	126
DM Jones (AUS)	v Zimbabwe	Hobart	14 Mar 1992	30 Jan 1984	8y 44d	131	128
GC Smith (Afr/SA)	v Bangladesh	Dhaka	14 Mar 2008	30 Mar 2002	5y 350d	133	131
MJ Guptill (NZ)	v Australia	Sydney	4 Dec 2016	10 Jan 2009	7y 329d	135	132
ML Hayden (AUS/ICC)	v South Africa	Basseterre	24 Mar 2007	19 May 1993	13y 309d	137	133
MG Bevan (AUS)	v West Indies	Sydney	7 Feb 2001	14 Apr 1994	6y 299d	153	135
MS Dhoni (Asia/INDIA)	v Sri Lanka	Rajkot	15 Dec 2009	23 Dec 2004	4y 357d	152	135
G Gambhir (INDIA)	v Sri Lanka	Pallekele	4 Aug 2012	11 Apr 2003	9y 115d	139	135

Let’s begin with Hashim Amla, the fastest to 5000 ODI Runs.

1. Hashim Amla (SA

Contents

• 1. Hashim Amla (SA)
• 2. Viv Richards (WI)
• 3. Virat Kohli (IND)
• 4. David Warner (AUS)
• 5.  Joe Root (ENG)
• 6. Quinton De Kock (SA)
• 7. Brian Lara (WI)
• 8. Shikhar Dhawan (IND)
• 9. Kane Williamson (NZ)
• 10. Gordon Greenidge (WI)

1. Hashim Amla (SA)

ww.cric-life.com/article/hashim-amla-ipl-cricket-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hashim Amla completed 5000 ODI runs in 101 innings in 104 matches. He was the fastest to get there in terms of the number of innings. Amla reached the milestone on 16 January 2015 against the West Indies in a home game at Durban. In that match, opening the innings for South Africa, Hashim Amla scored a run-a-ball 66 in a South African win. It took Hashim Amla 6 years and 313 days to reach the milestone. This is third-lowest among the players on this list.

Hashim Amla completed the 5000-run landmark with an average of 53.31, higher than his career average of 49.46. Of the 27 centuries Amal scored in his career, 17 centuries had come been made by the time he completed 5000 Runs.

At 5000 mark, it looked like Amla would score heavily further, however, in the rest of his career, he scored 3101 runs in 77 more matches with a substantially lower average of 44.30.

2. Viv Richards (WI

2. Viv Richards (WI)

f the greatest ODI batsmen of all time, was way ahead of the cricketers of his generation, especially in ODIs in the 1970s and 1980s. He completed 5000 runs in 114 innings in 126 matches with 8 centuries at an average of 53.02 – quite high compared to his overall career average of 47.

Viv Richards reached this milestone on 30 January 1987 in Benson & Hedges World Series Cup against England. The West Indies won it by 6 wickets in a successful run chase.

Due to the fewer number of ODIs played those days, it took Richards 11 years and 237 days to reach the milestone. The second-longest among the players on this list. During the rest of his career, Richards scored 1684 runs in 61 matches at a very low average of 35.08.

3. Virat Kohli (IND

3. Virat Kohli (IND)

w.cric-life.com/player/virat-kohli/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virat Kohli, current India captain and arguably one of the best ODI batsmen of the present generation, completed his 5000 runs in 114 innings in 120 matches. He reached the milestone at home in Kochi on 21 November 2013 in a match against the West Indies. India chased 212 successfully in that game with the help of Kohli’s 86 off 84 balls.

Virat completed the 5000 ODI runs with 17 centuries at an average of 52.13 – much lower compared to his current career average of 59.33. Unlike many of the other players on this list, he has improved his performance even more after reaching the 5000-run mark. After that, so far, Virat has scored 6862 runs in 128 matches at an extraordinary average of 65.98 with 26 ODI centuries.

It took Virat Kohli 5 years and 95 days to get to the milestone –  the fastest in terms of time taken to reach the 5000-run mark. He is the only one on this list to need less than 6 years to reach the milestone and also the only one to continue scoring at a considerably higher average after completing the milestone.

4. David Warner (AUS)

4. David Warner (AUS)

David Warner is next on the list, having completed 5000 ODI runs in 115 innings in 117 matches. He is a very recent addition to this list as he joined the rest of the crew in January 2020.

He reached the landmark, playing against India on 14 January 2020 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chasing a target of 256, David Warner scored an unbeaten 128 to see his side home by 10 wickets.

Warner scored at an average of 46.95 to reach 5000 ODI runs with 18 ODI centuries. He has played only 6 ODIs since then, scoring 149 runs at a very low average of 24.83. It took him 10 years and 361 days to reach the milestone – third-slowest among those on this list.

5.  Joe Root (ENG)

S

5.  Joe Root (ENG)

former captain Joe Root needed 119 innings, one more than David Warner, to complete 5000 ODI runs. He reached this milestone against the West Indies in Bridgetown on 20 February 2019 on a tour to the West Indies. Chasing a mammoth 361 in 50 overs, Joe Root scored 102 off 97 deliveries to help England complete a big chase with 6 wickets in hand.

Joe Root scored 5000 runs at an average of 52.04 with 14 centuries. He has played just 24 ODIs since then and has scored 874 runs at a slightly lower average of 46 with 2 more centuries. It took Joe Root 6 years and 40 days to reach the milestone – second-fastest, in terms of time taken, after Virat Kohli.

6. Quinton De Kock (SA)

6. Quinton De Kock (SA)

list is the South African batsman Quinton De Kock. De Kock also reached the 5000-run milestone in early 2020 in 116 innings – same as Joe Root. He did it in a match against England on 4 February 2020 played at home in Cape Town. Chasing a target of 259, De Kock scored a century as South Africa easily reached the target with 7 wickets and 14 balls to spare.

Quinton De Kock reached the 5000-run milestone with 15 centuries at an average of 45.58. He has played just 5 matches since then, scoring 121 runs at an average of 24.20. In terms of time, it took Quinton de Kock 7 years and 16 days to reach the milestone.

7. Brian Lara (WI)

7. Brian Lara (WI)/article/brian-lara-and-his-400/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brian Lara, a charismatic left-hander, completed 5000 ODI runs in 118 innings in 120 matches. He got to this milestone against South Africa on 3 November 1997 in a Quadrangular series held in Lahore, Pakistan. Lara scored a handy 68 before getting run out in the first innings but his team ended on a losing side in this match.

Lara reached the 5000-run milestone with 11 centuries at an average of 47.44. He played 179 ODIs after that but scored 5376 runs at a considerably lower average of 35.60 with 8 more ODI centuries. It took him 6 years 359 days to reach the milestone – fourth-fastest on this list and very close to Amla in terms of time to achieve the same milestone.

8. Shikhar Dhawan (IND)

8. Shikhar Dhawan (IND)layer/shikhar-dhawan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shikhar Dhawan is a left-handed opener who plays for India in all formats. He reached the 5000-run milestone in 118 innings – same as Lara – in 119 matches. It happened in a match against New Zealand on an away tour on 23 January 2019. Chasing a small total of 156 in a rain-shortened game, Shikhar Dhawan scored 75 not out to see India through with about 15 overs and 8 wickets to spare.

Shikhar Dhawan reached the 5000-run milestone with 15 centuries at an average of 45.63. He has played 17 matches since then, scoring 623 runs at an average of 41.53 with a couple of more centuries to his name. In terms of time needed to complete the milestone, it took Shikhar 8 years and 95 days to get there – fourth-slowest on this list.

9. Kane Williamson (NZ)

9. Kane Williamson (NZ)kane-williamson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kane Williamson, an elegant Kiwi batsman and skipper, is the next one on the list of fastest to 5000 ODI runs. It took him 119 innings in 125 matches to get to the milestone. It happened on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in an ODI on 3 March 2018 against England. Kane Williamson was about to single-handedly win that match for New Zealand with an unbeaten century but the rest of the team folded in a chase of 235. New Zealand lost the thriller by just 4 runs.

Williamson got to the 5000-run milestone with 11 centuries and an average of 49.18. He has scored 1076 runs in 26 matches since then at an average of 48.90 with two more centuries. In terms of time needed to reach the milestone, it took Williamson 7 years and 205 days.

10. Gordon Greenidge (WI)

10. Gordon Greenidge (WI)/most-consecutive-50s-in-odi-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gordon Greenidge, a great West Indian batsman, reached the 5000-run milestone in 121 innings in 122 matches on a tour to Pakistan in an ODI at Multan on 13 November 1990. Gordon Greenidge scored 35 in a failed chance of 169 in a 40-over game.

Greenidge achieved the feat with 11 centuries at an average of 46.10. It took him the longest amount of time among the players on this list. It took Greenidge 15 years and 155 days – about 3 times the amount of time it took Virat Kohli to reach the same milestone. This was partially so because ODIs were rare during his days. Greenidge played just 6 games after that, scoring 109 runs at an average of 21.80.