5 players with most runs in List A cricket

The game of cricket is played in three formats officially - days format, limited-overs format, and T20.

List A cricket is the limited-overs (one-day) format of cricket. In a List A game, the overs' limit can range from 40 to 60 overs. List A cricket includes One-day Internationals (ODIs), limited-overs domestic games and international games involving nations who haven't attained official ODI status by the ICC.

Most cricket-playing nations have some form of List A cricket competition in their country. In India, Vijay Hazare tournament and Deodhar Trophy are the premier List A cricket tournaments. Similarly, Royal London One-day cup and JLT One-day cup are prevalent in England and Australia respectively.

Till date, only three players have managed to go beyond 20,000 runs in List A cricket. In this article, we will take a look at the top 5 leading runs scorers in List A history.

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#5 Vivian Richards (16,995 runs)

Sir Viv Richards had a strike rate of 86 in Tests and 90 in ODIs

Sir Isaac Alex Vivian Richards is one of the greatest of cricketers of all time. The first word that pops in our heads when you mention his name is - destruction.

Richards was born in Antigua, and as the Caribbean Islands participate collectively, he represented West Indies at the international level.

He was a hard-hitting batsman who was a real nightmare for bowlers. In the times of hostile bowling and with no head protection, he would swagger down to the middle to take on the bowlers with a simple cap and a piece of chewing gum in his mouth.

His hard-hitting strokeplay was the hallmark of his batting throughout his career. He was the first player to revolutionize batting in limited overs cricket. He scored an unbeaten 189 in an ODI against England in Manchester in 1984, which was the record for the highest individual score then, and was recognized as the greatest ODI innings of all time by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

Richards scored 16,995 runs in List A cricket. His sky-high strike rate in international cricket (90+ in ODIs and 80+ in Tests), which was unprecedented in those times, is a testament of his greatness.

#4 Kumar Sangakkara (19,453 runs)

Kumar Sangakkara while playing a shot through square region

This elegant wicket-keeper batsman was a cornerstone of Sri Lankan cricket for 15 years. With over 500 International matches for Sri Lanka, Kumar Sangakkara is possibly the greatest wicket-keeper batsman to have ever played the game.

Sangakkara was the backbone of the Sri Lankan middle-order. Under his captaincy, Sri Lanka advanced to the finals of the 2009 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup, although they lost in both the instances.

Sangakkara was a reliable player, and with Mahela Jayawardene, he delivered numerous match-winning performances. He was pivotal in Sri Lanka's campaign win in the 2014 World T20 and was awarded Man of the match for his match-winning effort.

He was like fine wine; he got better with age. Before going into the 2015 World Cup, Sangakkara had foretold that he would retire from ODI cricket after the tournament. Though he was in the last leg of his career, his form in the World Cup made his decision of retirement look untimely.

Sangakkara struck 4 consecutive centuries in the tournament, thus becoming the first batsman to do so. However, despite his batting exploits, Sri Lanka's campaign ended in the quarter-final.

Post-retirement, Sangakkara continued showcasing his brilliance in T20 leagues and county cricket and even brought up his 100th century in competitive cricket against Yorkshire in a domestic match.

He is second only to the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most runs in ODI cricket. In his List A career, he scored 19,453 runs in 528 matches with 39 centuries to his name.

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#3 Sachin Tendulkar (21,999 runs)

Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-getter in ODIs

Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-getter in Tests and ODIs. Runs never stopped flowing from the maestro's bat over his career, which lasted over 24 years.

Tendulkar epitomized the art of batting and has over 18,000 runs in ODI cricket. The numbers go beyond 20,000 in overall List A cricket.

Tendulkar manifested an unprecedented balance between attack and defense in his batting. Though all his centuries in ODI cricket are cherishable, his 'desert storm' knocks in Sharjah are the standouts of his career.

Tendulkar was the first player to score 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. And he is one of the three batsmen to have scored over 20,000 runs in List A cricket. Moreover, Tendulkar has over 50,000 runs in competitive cricket, becoming the first Asian to achieve this feat.

In 538 innings of 551 List A games, Tendulkar scored 21,999 runs with 60 centuries to his name. Moreover, Tendulkar is 10th on the list of most centuries in overall competitive cricket.

#2 Graeme Hick (22,059 runs)

Graeme Hick has second most centuries and runs in competitive cricket

Graeme Hick was more of a domestic cricket hero who could never quite make it in international cricket.

Hick was born in Rhodesia and spent his formative years by playing cricket in Zimbabwe. He then moved and represented England in Tests and ODIs.

Unlike first class cricket, international cricket didn't prove to be too fruitful for Hick. In 65 Tests and 120 ODIs for England, he could only manage to score 3383 runs and 3846 runs respectively.

Hick is second on the list of leading run scorers in both first-class cricket and List A cricket. In 651 List A games, Graeme Hick scored 22,059 runs with 40 centuries to his name.

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#1 Graham Gooch (22,211 runs)

Graham Gooch holds record for most runs in competitive cricket

The former English cricketer Graham Gooch is regarded as one of the best cricketers of his generation. Gooch was a late bloomer, and his career suffered various impediments, including a three-year ban. Despite this, he emerged as a prolific run scorer, and his batting dominance is reflected in his career figures.

Gooch holds the record for most runs in a single Test match. He scored 456 runs, with knocks of 333 and 123, in the two innings of the Lord's Test against India in 1990.

Gooch represented England and Essex at international and county level respectively. In 601 innings of 614 games of his List A career, which spanned from 1973 to 1997, he scored a remarkable 22,211 runs with 44 centuries to his name.

Gooch holds the record for most runs in competitive cricket (first class and List A), and is third after Jack Hobbs and Hick in the list of most centuries in competitive cricket.