Top 5 batsmen with most runs in the middle order in ODIs 

#2 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni

The only captain to win all the ICC trophies, MS Dhoni is considered one of the greatest finishers in ODI cricket and one of the best limited overs middle order batsmen to have played the game. With 9631 runs from 276 innings, Dhoni stands second in the list. He averages 49.13 and possesses a strike rate of 86.67 while batting in the middle order.

In winning causes, Dhoni's average goes up by 15.20 to 64.33 and strike rate to 95.13. 5 of his 8 hundreds and 38 out of 66 fifties in the middle order have resulted in wins. His 139* for Asia XI batting at number seven remains his highest score in the middle order.

#1 Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene

Former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who took his side to the final of the 2007 World Cup and scored a brilliant hundred in the final of the 2011 World Cup, has the most runs as a middle order batsman in ODI cricket. Jayawardene has close to 10,000 runs (9896) from 336 innings at an average of 32.44 and strike rate of 77.36.

He has 12 hundreds and 64 fifties, 9 and 36 of which have resulted in wins. His average and strike rate in winning causes go up to 40.45 and 83.16 respectively.

Jayawardene, one of the greatest batsmen to have played for Sri Lanka, will go down as one of the most reliable number fours in limited overs cricket.

AB De Villers (7811), Mohammad Yousuf (7678), Ross Taylor (7622), Steve Waugh (7341), Arjuna Ranatunga (7313) and Mohammad Azharuddin (7310) are the only other batsmen to cross 7000 runs batting in the middle order.

Among the current crop of cricketers, MS Dhoni (9631) leads the chart, followed by Ross Taylor (7622), Eoin Morgan (6549) and Mushfiqur Rahim (5753).