In the thrilling arena of international cricket, a captain is considered a team leader. They create strategies, make crucial decisions, and encourage their players throughout the game. Some captains have been successful in the World Cup as both effective leaders and run scorers for their nations. They led their team and performed with the bat. We have an example of Ricky Ponting, who performed with the bat and set the record for most runs as captain in the ODI World Cup. That eventually helped Australia win back-to-back World Cup trophies.
The ODI World Cup 2023 will begin in a few days, and each captain will have a challenging job leading the team. Every cricket enthusiast will watch closely as their favourite captain works hard for his team. Now, we will look at the captains who have scored the most runs in ODI WC history.
| BATSMAN | TEAM | MATCHES | RUNS | HS | AVG. | SR | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricky Ponting | AUS | 29 | 1160 | 140* | 52.72 | 87.81 | 4 | 5 |
| Stephen Fleming | NZ | 27 | 882 | 134* | 36.75 | 78.67 | 2 | 4 |
| M Azharuddin | IND | 23 | 636 | 93 | 35.33 | 77.09 | 0 | 6 |
| Grame Smith | SA | 17 | 626 | 91 | 39.12 | 86.46 | 0 | 5 |
| Imran Khan | PAK | 22 | 615 | 102* | 38.43 | 68.48 | 1 | 4 |
| Kane Williamson | NZ | 10 | 578 | 148 | 82.57 | 74.96 | 2 | 2 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | SL | 11 | 548 | 115* | 60.88 | 85.09 | 1 | 4 |
| Arron Finch | AUS | 10 | 507 | 153 | 50.7 | 102.01 | 2 | 3 |
| AB de Villiers | SA | 8 | 482 | 162* | 96.4 | 144.31 | 1 | 3 |
| MS Dhoni | IND | 17 | 478 | 91* | 53.11 | 90.7 | 0 | 3 |
| Sourav Ganguly | IND | 11 | 465 | 112* | 58.12 | 82.3 | 3 | 0 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | SL | 9 | 465 | 111 | 93 | 83.78 | 1 | 3 |
Ricky Ponting | 1160
Ricky Ponting is the most successful captain in ODI. He has scored highest runs as a captain in World Cup history and won two titles for Australia.
Overall, he scored 1160 runs in 29 matches with a batting average of 52. Moreover, he scored 04 centuries and 05 fifties with an excellent strike rate of 87. He achieved all these stats after facing 1321 balls in his World Cup batting career.
Stephen Fleming | 882
Stephen Fleming scored the 2nd most runs 882 in ODI World Cup history. He led the New Zealand team in 27 matches with a batting average of 36 and a strike rate of 78. As a captain, he scored the highest individual score in an innings of 134* for New Zealand. Overall, he faced 1121 World Cup balls to achieve this record.
M Azharuddin | 636
Muhammad Azharuddin has the highest runs in ODI World Cup history as captain for India. Overall, he scored 636 runs in 23 matches with a batting average of 35. As captain, Azharuddin has a unique record of scoring most fifties 06 in World Cup history. He faced 825 balls to achieve this record, which is the highest number of balls faced by any Indian captain in ODI World Cup history.
Graeme Smith | 626
South Africa has one of the best leaders in cricket, known as Graeme Smith. In total, he scored 626 runs in 17 WC matches with a batting average of 39. He scored 05 fifties in his World Cup career. In total, he took 724 balls to achieve this World Cup captaincy stats for South Africa.
Imran Khan | 615
The Pakistani winning WC captain, Imran Khan, still holds the record for scoring the most runs for Pakistan in WC history. Overall, he scored 615 runs in 22 matches with a batting average of 38 and strike rate of 68. Moreover, Imran has 01 century to his name as a captain in ODI WC. His highest innings score in WC history is 102*.
Kane Williamson | 578
After Stephen Fleming, Kane Williamson is the second-best New Zealand captain. He hit 02 centuries and 02 fifties with a batting average of 82. He took just nine innings to reach 578 runs in World Cup history. He faced 771 balls to achieve these numbers as an ODI WC captain.
Mahela Jayawardene | 548
Mahela Jayawardene is the 3rd Asian captain to have the most runs in ODI WC history. He scored 538 runs in 11 innings with a batting average of 60 and 85 strike rate. Overall, he hit 01 centuries and 04 fifties in his WC career as a captain. He faced 644 balls to achieve these captaincy stats in his World Cup career.
Aaron Finch | 507
Aaron Finch scored 507 runs in 10 matches of World Cup career. Overall, he hit 02 centuries and 03 fifties as a captain in WC for Australia. He faced 497 balls to achieve these stats with the bat for his Australia team. He is the second-best Australian captain after Ricky Ponting to achieve this record.
AB De Villiers | 482
AB De Villiers scored 482 runs in just 08 matches of ODI WC as a captain. His batting average of 96 is one of the best among all World Cup captains. He faced 334 balls to achieve these fantastic captaincy stats for South Africa. Overall, he has a single century to his name as a captain.
MS Dhoni | 478
As a captain, MS Dhoni scored 478 runs in 17 ODI WC matches. His batting average is 53 with a strike rate of more than 80. He scored 03 fifties in his WC career. His highest individual score in WC history is 91. He faced 527 balls to achieve all these WC batting stats.
Sourav Ganguly | 465
Sourav Ganguly scored 465 runs in 11 World Cup matches with a batting average of 58. In total, he scored 03 centuries, which is the highest number of centuries by any Indian captain in WC history. Overall, he faced 565 balls to achieve these excellent captaincy stats in ODI WC history.
