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Some of the batting records that we’ve been analysing have been quite incredible so let’s move on to the fastest batters to 2000 runs in ODIs.
List of Fastest 2000 Runs in ODI
1. Hashim Amla
Hashim Amla was arguably South Africa’s best all round batsman. Known for playing long innings in test match cricket, he was also strong in the limited overs formats. The first milestone to note is the fact that Amla became the fastest player to 2,000 ODI runs when he reached the mark in his fortieth innings.
Not only that, he went on to become the quickest batter to 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000 and 7,000 ODI runs. To round it all off, Hashim Amla is also the fastest man to reach ten centuries in this format.
2. Zaheer Abbas
Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas played at a time when ODI scoring rates were much lower so the fact that he remains at number two on this list is a seriously impressive feat. Zaheer reached the landmark of 2,000 One Day International runs in his 45th innings.
He would only play 60 ODI innings in his career so he didn’t get the chance to reach further milestones. Zaheer retired with 2,572 runs in this form of the game.
3. Kevin Pietersen
England batsman Kevin Pietersen is another player who could adapt well to all formats. He was instrumental in a number of successful Ashes campaigns and he also played in the side that won the T20 World Cup in 2010.
At ODI level, KP also reached the landmark of 2,000 runs in his 45th innings. He went on to play in 136 One Day International games for England, scoring 4,440 runs at an average of 40.73 with nine hundreds and a highest score of 130.
4. Babar Azam
One of Pakistan’s finest ever players, Babar Azam has time to become one of the most prolific batsmen in the history of ODI cricket. He also reached the target of 2,000 runs in his 45th innings and has since passed the 4,000 mark.
He’s a prolific run getter with a strike rate above 90 in this format so we can expect more fast scoring landmarks in the future.
5. Imam-ul-Haq
An opening batsman for Pakistan, Imam-ul-Haq announced his arrival on the international stage by scoring a century on his ODI debut. That fast start helped the player become the fastest batsman to 1,000 international runs in this form of the game.
Imam slowed down a fraction after that explosive start before reaching the milestone of 2,000 One Day International runs in his 46th innings.
6. Jonathan Trott
He will largely be remembered as an obdurate top order batter who would play patient, lengthy innings in test match cricket. That’s a decent legacy but it may overshadow Jonathon Trott’s contribution to England in one day internationals.
Trott sits in sixth place in the fastest scoring list, having reached his 2,000th ODI run in his 47th innings. His rate slowed down a fraction after that point and he would retire with 2,819 runs with four centuries and a best of 137.
7. Shai Hope
Wicket keeper / batsman Shai Hope is one of the most talented players to come out of the West Indies in recent years. He may be inconsistent at times but he currently holds the record for the fastest 2000 ODI runs in West Indian cricket history.
Hope also got to that landmark in his 47th innings and, while he’s not a regular at international level, he has time to add to his tally. At the time of writing, Shai Hope’s most recent ODI was against India in March 2022 and, at that stage, he had scored 3,738 runs in 84 innings. With ten centuries and a best of 170, there must be more to come from this impressive batter.
8. Vivian Richards
Viv Richards was present when his West Indies side won the first ever World Cup in 1975 and he was the Man of the Match as they retained their title four years later. A man who scored at a higher rate than the vast majority of his contemporaries, Richards made it to 2000 ODI runs in his 48th innings.
That achievement put him marginally ahead of his teammate Gordon Greenidge and this was a milestone that stood for some time. When he retired from the international game in 1991, Viv Richards had scored 6,721 One Day International runs in 167 innings.
His highest of 189 against England in 1984 came from just 170 balls and was a record for an individual batter in ODIs at the time.
9. Shikhar Dhawan
An explosive left handed batter, it’s always hard for me to understand why India could ever consider leaving Shikhar Dhawan out of their side. He may be inconsistent at present, but Dhawan made an impressive start to his career, passing 2,000 ODI runs in his 48th innings.
At the time of writing, Dhawan’s most recent match came against the West Indies in February 2022. At that stage, he had scored 6,284 ODI runs from 146 innings with no fewer than 17 centuries and a best of 143.
10. Gordon Greenidge
Like Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge played in an era when the West Indies dominated One Day cricket. As an opener, he played a key role as his team won those initial World Cups in 1975 and 1979.
Greenidge would reach 2,000 ODI runs in his 49th innings and he would go on to set a number of additional milestones. His final One Day International came against England in 1991. When that match was complete, the opener had scored 5,134 runs in this form of the game. His average was 45.03 and Gordon Greenidge retired with 11 hundreds and a highest score of 133 not out.
