Top 5 cricketers with most international runs: Updated for 2023

Player Runs Virat Kohli 25548Mahela Jayawardene 25597Ricky Ponting 27483Kumar Sangakkara 28016Sachin Tendulkar 34357 Cricketers with most international runs: Cricket is a batsman's game, and over the years, we have been…

By Arsh Das

July 23, 2023

3 min read

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Player	Runs
Virat Kohli	25548
Mahela Jayawardene	25597
Ricky Ponting	27483
Kumar Sangakkara	28016
Sachin Tendulkar	34357

Cricketers with most international runs: Cricket is a batsman’s game, and over the years, we have been blessed to see some of the most consistent players take over the stats of the most runs scored in international formats. In this article, we will be taking a look at the top five cricketers with the most international runs to their name.

Top 5 cricketers with most international runs as of 2023

5. Virat Kohli – 25548 runs

The only active player on the list, Kohli is the most elite batter in the world right now, in spite of his dip in form a few years ago. He recently surpassed Jacques Kallis, who scored 25534 runs during his iconic international career with South Africa to enter the top five, and could soon be in the top three given that he plays consistently for a few more years.

4. Mahela Jayawardene – 25597 runs

Sri Lanka’s cricketer Mahela Jayawardene waves at the crowd after Sri Lanka won the seventh and final One Day International (ODI) cricket match against England at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo on December 16, 2014. AFP PHOTO / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI / AFP)

The Sri Lankan top order batsman was one of the stalwarts of the greatest era in their cricketing history. Jayawardene scored a total of 25597 runs throughout his international career, and remains one of the best players to have ever come out of the country.

3. Ricky Ponting – 27483 runs

During his playing days, there were few batsmen better than Ricky Ponting. The Australian defined more than a decade of the sport, and won four trophies as the captain of the country, including the completion of their hat-trick of World Cup trophies in the first decade of the 2000s.

2. Kumar Sangakkara – 28016 runs

One of the most iconic wicket keeper/batsman profiles to have ever played the sport, Kumar Sangakkara holds second place for the most international runs scored. The Sri Lankan formed a glorious partnership alongside Mahela Jayawardene during their peak years, and won the T20 World Cup in 2014 alongside two runner-up positions in the ODI World Cup.

1. Sachin Tendulkar – 34357 runs

Considered by many as the best cricketer to have ever existed, Sachin Tendulkar is in a league of his own, with the most international runs scored at 34357. For the time being, it looks unlikely that the Master Blaster’s record will ever be broken, but even if it does, his contribution to international cricket will surely stand the test of time.