Hashim Amla, who opens in limited overs cricket for South Africa, is, as of 16th June 2017, the fastest batsman to reach 2000 ODI runs (in terms of innings). He completed the record on 21st January 2011 just under three years after his debut. The right-hander took just 40 innings to reach the milestone, five faster than the next fastest, Pakistani legend, Zaheer Abbas. and former English player Kevin Pietersen.
He is, in fact, only the 5th player to have scored 2000 ODI runs in fewer than fifty games, alongside Gordon Greenidge (49 innings), Sir Viv Richards (48 innings), Jonathan Trott (47 innings), Zaheer Abbass and Kevin Pietersen (45 innings each).
The record was held by Abbass for 28 years before it was broken by Amla. Amla holds the record for the fastest to 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 ODI runs and comes in eleventh on the fastest to 1000 runs. He has scored 7186 ODI runs in 153 innings. Consequently, he will need 814 runs in 21 innings to beat Virat Kohli’s record of 175 innings and continue his unparalleled achievements with the bat.
Since coming to the scene in 2008, he has averaged above 40 in every year, except 2013 and 2016, where he averaged in the high 30s. His consistency and stellar form in the 2017 edition of the IPL are a sign that he is far from stopping. His grace and unique style of coming all the way across the wicket has won him laurels in all formats. He is one of the few batsmen to average above 50 in both ODIs and Test cricket for most of his career.
The ten fastest batsmen to 2000 runs comprise of three former England Players, 2 South Africans, 2 West Indians, an Indian, an Australian and a Pakistani:
| No. | Player | Matches | Innings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hashim Amla (South Africa) | 41 | 40 |
| 2 | Zaheer Abbas (Pakistan) | 45 | 45 |
| 3 | Kevin Pietersen (England) | 51 | 45 |
| 4 | Jonathan Trott (England) | 49 | 47 |
| 5 | Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies) | 49 | 48 |
| 6 | Shikhar Dhawan (India) | 49 | 48 |
| 7 | Gordon Greenidge (West Indies) | 49 | 49 |
| 8 | Gary Kirsten (South Africa) | 49 | 50 |
| 9 | Alistair Cook (England) | 50 | 51 |
| 10 | David Boon (Australia) | 51 | 52 |
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