Cricket World Cup History: 5 players who have scored 600+ runs in a single edition of the tournament

After entertaining the cricket universe for almost 2 months, the 12th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup ended with the host nation, England, becoming the champions. This edition witnessed one of the most thrilling matches ever played in the history of cricket. The two finalists, New Zealand and England played out a tie before battling in the super over. Co-incidentally, the super over too could not separate the two sides and the rule book declared England as the champions based on the number of boundaries they had accumulated.

A plethora of records had been broken, and players created some new records in this year’s World Cup. Every cricketer wishes to have a record on his name as it adds more worth to his career. However, it is not easy as it demands a huge amount of dedication and skill to set a record in the world’s most prestigious cricket tournament.

Rohit Sharma emerged as the star performer for the Indian side in this mega-event. In the 9 matches Rohit played, he scored 648 runs. He also became a member of the elite list of batsmen who have scored 600 or more runs in a single World Cup tournament. Till date, only 5 batsmen have achieved this feat.

We take a look at these 5 batsmen.

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#5 Sachin Tendulkar, India (2003)

Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer to aggregate 600+ runs in one World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar, the God of Cricket holds many records in cricket history. Among all the firsts he achieved, Sachin cracked a unique record by becoming the first cricketer to smash over 600 runs in a single edition of World Cup.

Nicknamed as Master Blaster, Sachin achieved this feat in the year 2003 while representing India in the prestigious tournament. With his mind-boggling form, he scored 673 runs in that edition. He also recorded his highest score in Cricket World Cups at the time (152) against Namibia during the 2003 World Cup.

Tendulkar’s 673 runs included 1 century and 6 half-centuries at a breath-taking average of 61.18. Despite India’s failure to win the World Cup in 2003, Sachin Tendulkar won the Man of the Tournament award for his glorious batting.

#4 Matthew Hayden, Australia (2007)

Matthew Hayden became the 2nd man to reach this mark.

Australia are the most successful team of the ICC World Cup. The nation has lifted the trophy 5 times which showcases their rich World Cup history. One of the main reasons behind their success were their star batsmen who had always delivered when it mattered. Matthew Hayden is one such star who had a great World Cup career.

Matthew Hayden proved to a great opener for his side with his explosive approach in the initial overs. The left-handed batsman became the 2nd cricketer to score over 600 runs in a single World Cup edition. Hayden attained this record in the 2007 World Cup. His miraculous batting performances had helped his side lift their 4th World Cup trophy. Hayden had smashed 659 runs in that tournament, falling just 14 runs short of Sachin Tendulkar’s 673 run mark.

The Aussie had hit 69 boundaries and 18 sixes to give sleepless nights to the opposition bowlers during the World Cup. Averaging 73.22, the star player registered 1 half-century and 3 centuries to his name en route to reaching this milestone.

#3 Shakib-Al-Hasan, Bangladesh (2019)

Shakib-Al-Hasan stunned the whole world with his brilliant form in the 2019 World Cup.

The cricketer who shocked the cricket world with his unbelievable batting performances in the 12th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup, Shakib-Al-Hasan became the first Bangladeshi player to score 600+ runs in a World Cup.

The star player stole the show with his superb display of all-around skills at the mega-event. Even though Bangladesh had an exited early from the tournament, Shakib won the hearts of the whole cricketing fraternity.

The left-handed all-rounder had been the real gem of his side, with both the bat and the ball. He scored 606 runs in just 8 matches and became the 3rd cricketer to reach the milestone of 600 runs. Shakib slammed 2 hundreds and 5 half-centuries in the 2019 World Cup. The Bangladeshi star also picked up 11 wickets, which included a crucial five-wicket-haul.

#2 Rohit Sharma, India (2019)

Rohit Sharma smashed a century in his very first match of the 2019 World Cup

India’s 2019 World Cup campaign did not end the way they might have wished as the side exited from the tournament after succumbing to the New Zealand side in the semi-finals. Chasing a modest target of 240 runs, the Men in Blue fell short by 18 runs.

However, stylish right-handed batsman Rohit Sharma shone with the bat for Virat Kohli’s men. Opening the innings for his side, the Mumbai-born superstar smashed 648 runs in the tournament to finish as the top run-scorer of the World Cup. The Hitman also broke the record of hitting the most centuries in a single World Cup.

Sharma helped his team win matches against South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with his game-changing tons. Though his hundred could not take India over the line versus England, Rohit won the cricket fans’ hearts with his awe-inspiring performance.

#1 David Warner, Australia (2019)

Australia lost to England in the 2nd semi-final.

David Warner carried his magnificent form from IPL 2019 into the 2019 World Cup. He was the leading run-scorer of IPL 2019 and even had an excellent outing for Australia in the World Cup. The one-year ban which Warner served prior to the World Cup proved to be a turning point of his career. He has been in a good mind-space ever since returning to the cricket field.

While opening the innings with Aaron Finch, the left-handed player has smashed 647 runs with his bat and occupied the 2nd position in the charts. Warner batted with a splendid average of 71.89 in the tournament. The Aussie hit 3 hundreds and 3 fifties in the 2019 World Cup besides recording the highest individual score (166) of the tournament.

Though the gap between Rohit Sharma and David Warner was very, very slender, both the world-class batsmen could not overhaul Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 673 runs in one World Cup tournament.