From one format to another, the batters have come to all guns blazing before setting their eyes on most hundreds in a career in the international fold. Such has been the hallmark left by professionals in the gentleman’s game over the years.
Apart from the peppy numbers cricket is more about the lesson to be patient before winning matches for the respective countries. In such parlance, playing a game with sportsmanship adds more value to it in contemporary times.
Here’s the list of prominent faces who recorded most hundreds in a career:
- Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 hundred in 662 matches:
While representing India national cricket team between 1989 and 2013, Sachin Tendulkar served India (including ICC) in record 664 games across formats. Tendulkar eventually became the first-ever batsman in history to register 100 hundred in the international fold.
Moreover, in 782 innings Tendulkar went on to amass staggering 34357 runs at the average of 48.2. Furthermore, he attributed it with a staggering 164 half-centuries under his name.
During his illustrious 24-year-old career Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 74 occasions which further saw him being dismissed for nought on 34 occasions.
In short, passionate for cricket, Tendulkar left an indelible mark in the gentleman’s game.
- Ricky Ponting’s 71 hundred in 560 matches:
As a team leader, Ricky Ponting during his tenure made things work in tandem before amassing runs at his will across formats. Banking on his strength, Ponting further showcased skills during his early days of international cricket. The prominent figure in Australian setup has brought stability in the national team during his stint.
Ponting represented Australia National Cricket Team in 560 matches which further include a couple of games for the ICC. The right-handed batsman registered 71 tons to his name.
Moreover, the renowned batsman Ponting amassed 27483 across formats in 668 innings at the average of 45.95. He represented the Kangaroos between 1995 and 2012.
- Virat Kohli’s 63 hundred in 357 matches:
Team India skipper is marshaling his troops well. However, he is cherishing a remarkable run with the bat in all three formats of the international fold.
The top-order batsman Kohli had a jaw-dropping conversion rate which makes him more threatening even chasing down the stiff totals.
So far, the 29-year-old Kohli amassed 18989 runs at the average of 56.34. Moreover, he has 63 tons to his name in 357 international matches.
In overall 398 innings, Kohli recorded 87 fifties as well. Furthermore, he remained unbeaten on 61 occasions during his ongoing international career.
- Kumar Sangakkara’s 63 hundred in 594 matches:
Elegant batsman Kumar Sangakkara piled up runs in style in the international fold. Sangakkara had a knack of scoring runs in away conditions, and he did it aptly over the years for Sri Lankan national team.
Between 2000 and 2015, Sangakkara represented the Lankan Lions in 594 matches in which he amassed 28016 runs at the batting average of 46.77. He further smashed 63 tons and 153 fifties in 666 innings.
Moreover, Sangakkara remained not out 67 times during his entire international career. Besides, he further got dismissed on naught on 28 occasions.
- Jacques Kallis’ 62 hundred in 519 matches:
All-rounder Jacques Kallis not only delivered goods with the ball across formats, but he shot into limelight with his brilliant display of batting during his international career.
The prominent South African Cricket Team batsman Kallis played an excellent role with his all-round performance.
Before bowing out from the international cricket, Kallis played 519 matches between 1995 and 2004. He further registered 25534 runs at the average of 29.10.
In aggregate, Kallis recorded 62 tons and 149 fifties to his name in 617 innings across formats.
Also, the high-quality batsman remained not out on 97 occasions.
- Hashim Amla’s 54 hundred in 333 matches:
Over the years, Hashim Amla took a lot in his stride. Known for his copybook style of play, Amla ruled the roost with some fantastic performances across formats.
As of now, Amla might be struggling with his consistency, but he has already proved his mettle at the highest level for the Proteas.
In 33 matches, Amla registered 54 tons across formats. The concurrent South African batsman further smashed 84 half-centuries under his belt in 417 innings.
Moreover, the top-order batsman has set an example for the youngsters on how to tackle opponents.
- Mahela Jayawardene’s 54 hundred in 652 matches:
Sri Lankan stalwart had done all possible things during his stint in the international fold. Moreover, being as a leader, he further backed youngsters to make it count for the national team.
Interestingly, his involvement in a marathon of partnerships alongside his former teammate is a well-known fact in the top-flight cricket.
Jayawardene played 652 international games in which he amassed 25957 runs at the average of 39.15. He further racked up 54 tons under his belt in 725 innings between 1997 and 2015.
The compact right-handed middle-order batsman further attributed his international success with 136 half-centuries.
- Brian Lara’s 53 hundred in 430 matches:
Brian Lara without any doubt happened to be one of the best in business in the international fold. His hunger for runs and winning the games eventually set him apart from other batters.
Owing to his immaculate control to judge the ball to perfection further helped him to make it to the record books. Lara represented in 430 international matches which also saw him amassing 22358 runs at the average of 46.28.
The left-handed batsman Lara entertained one and all by piercing gaps in style. He has 53 hundred in 521 innings.
Moreover, to make way for youngsters Lara bids adieu to cricket in 2007. He smashed 111 fifties under his belt and remained unbeaten on 38 occasions in the top-flight cricket.
- Rahul Dravid’s 48 hundred in 509 matches:
Rahul Dravid has been one of its kinds who ignored his numbers for good. Also, Dravid played a significant role in India’s success alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman in particular.
The right-handed veteran batter Dravid featured in overall 509 matches between 1996 and 2013. He smashed 48 hundred and 146 fifties under his belt in 605 innings.
During his entire cricketing career, Dravid returned to the pavilion without scoring on 21 occasions. Eventually, he remained unbeaten for 72 times across formats.
10. AB de Villiers’ 47 hundred in 420 matches:
Before announcing his retirement, AB de Villiers made things miserable for the opponents with his pyrotechnics, particularly in the limited-overs format.
The audacious in nature Proteas batsman featured in 420 matches to amass 20014 runs at the average of 48.11. Across formats, de Villiers played a remarkable role in winning major games for South Africa.
In 484 innings, de Villiers smashed 47 hundred and 109 fifties before announcing his retirement in 2018.
Having all his shots in his book, de Villiers further took the world by storm owing to his consistency in the international fold.
Table listing batsmen with most hundreds in a career:
| Serial No. | Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s |
| 1 | SR Tendulkar (INDIA) | 664 | 782 | 34357 | 48.52 | 100 |
| 2 | RT Ponting (AUS/ICC) | 560 | 668 | 27483 | 45.95 | 71 |
| 3 | V Kohli (INDIA) | 357 | 398 | 18989 | 56.34 | 63 |
| 4 | KC Sangakkara (Asia/ICC/SL) | 594 | 666 | 28016 | 46.77 | 63 |
| 5 | JH Kallis (Afr/ICC/SA) | 519 | 617 | 25534 | 49.1 | 62 |
| 6 | HM Amla (SA/World) | 333 | 417 | 18066 | 46.92 | 54 |
| 7 | DPMD Jayawardene (Asia/SL) | 652 | 725 | 25957 | 39.15 | 54 |
| 8 | BC Lara (ICC/WI) | 430 | 521 | 22358 | 46.28 | 53 |
| 9 | R Dravid (Asia/ICC/INDIA) | 509 | 605 | 24208 | 45.41 | 48 |
| 10 | AB de Villiers (Afr/SA) | 420 | 484 | 20014 | 48.11 | 47 |
| 11 | ST Jayasuriya (Asia/SL) | 586 | 651 | 21032 | 34.14 | 42 |
| 12 | Younis Khan (PAK) | 408 | 491 | 17790 | 39.88 | 41 |
| 13 | S Chanderpaul (WI) | 454 | 553 | 20988 | 45.72 | 41 |
| 14 | ML Hayden (AUS/ICC) | 273 | 348 | 15066 | 47.67 | 40 |
| 15 | CH Gayle (ICC/WI) | 443 | 513 | 18548 | 38.56 | 40 |
| 16 | Mohammad Yousuf (Asia/PAK) | 381 | 432 | 17300 | 45.52 | 39 |
| 17 | TM Dilshan (SL) | 497 | 527 | 17671 | 38.16 | 39 |
| 18 | AN Cook (ENG) | 257 | 387 | 15737 | 42.88 | 38 |
| 19 | V Sehwag (Asia/ICC/INDIA) | 374 | 443 | 17253 | 40.31 | 38 |
| 20 | ME Waugh (AUS) | 372 | 445 | 16529 | 40.51 | 38 |
| 21 | SC Ganguly (Asia/INDIA) | 424 | 488 | 18575 | 41.46 | 38 |
| 22 | GC Smith (Afr/ICC/SA) | 347 | 432 | 17236 | 42.34 | 37 |
| 23 | LRPL Taylor (NZ) | 381 | 429 | 15423 | 43.08 | 36 |
| 24 | MJ Clarke (AUS) | 394 | 449 | 17112 | 45.26 | 36 |
| 25 | DA Warner (AUS) | 250 | 311 | 12498 | 41.79 | 35 |
| 26 | SM Gavaskar (INDIA) | 233 | 316 | 13214 | 46.2 | 35 |
| 27 | IVA Richards (WI) | 308 | 349 | 15261 | 48.75 | 35 |
| 28 | HH Gibbs (SA) | 361 | 417 | 14661 | 37.3 | 35 |
| 29 | DL Haynes (WI) | 354 | 439 | 16135 | 41.8 | 35 |
| 30 | SR Waugh (AUS) | 493 | 548 | 18496 | 41.65 | 35 |
| 31 | Inzamam-ul-Haq (Asia/ICC/PAK) | 499 | 551 | 20580 | 43.32 | 35 |
| 32 | G Kirsten (SA) | 286 | 361 | 14087 | 43.07 | 34 |
| 33 | AC Gilchrist (AUS/ICC) | 396 | 429 | 15461 | 38.94 | 33 |
| 34 | KP Pietersen (ENG/ICC) | 277 | 342 | 13797 | 44.07 | 32 |
| 35 | SPD Smith (AUS) | 202 | 236 | 10061 | 49.56 | 31 |
| 36 | Saeed Anwar (PAK) | 302 | 335 | 12876 | 41 | 31 |
| 37 | Javed Miandad (PAK) | 357 | 407 | 16213 | 46.99 | 31 |
| 38 | PA de Silva (SL) | 401 | 455 | 15645 | 37.78 | 31 |
| 39 | KS Williamson (NZ) | 253 | 300 | 12473 | 46.02 | 30 |
| 40 | CG Greenidge (WI) | 236 | 312 | 12692 | 44.84 | 30 |
| 41 | AR Border (AUS) | 429 | 517 | 17698 | 40.77 | 30 |
| 42 | DG Bradman (AUS) | 52 | 80 | 6996 | 99.94 | 29 |
| 43 | M Azharuddin (INDIA) | 433 | 455 | 15593 | 39.77 | 29 |
| 44 | JE Root (ENG) | 226 | 282 | 12241 | 49.55 | 28 |
| 45 | RG Sharma (INDIA) | 310 | 316 | 11276 | 42.71 | 28 |
| 46 | GA Gooch (ENG) | 243 | 337 | 13190 | 40.58 | 28 |
| 47 | GS Chappell (AUS) | 161 | 223 | 9441 | 49.68 | 27 |
| 48 | AJ Strauss (ENG) | 231 | 308 | 11315 | 38.48 | 27 |
| 49 | NJ Astle (NZ) | 308 | 358 | 11866 | 35.63 | 27 |
| 50 | MS Atapattu (SL) | 360 | 416 | 14036 | 38.03 | 27 |
| 51 | GS Sobers (WI) | 94 | 161 | 8032 | 57.37 | 26 |
| 52 | ME Trescothick (ENG) | 202 | 268 | 10326 | 40.97 | 26 |
| 53 | DC Boon (AUS) | 288 | 367 | 13386 | 40.44 | 26 |
| 54 | IR Bell (ENG) | 287 | 370 | 13331 | 40.27 | 26 |
| 55 | DI Gower (ENG) | 231 | 315 | 11401 | 39.44 | 25 |
| 56 | JL Langer (AUS) | 113 | 189 | 7856 | 44.89 | 23 |
| 57 | G Boycott (ENG) | 144 | 227 | 9196 | 45.98 | 23 |
| 58 | VVS Laxman (INDIA) | 220 | 308 | 11119 | 41.64 | 23 |
| 59 | WR Hammond (ENG) | 85 | 140 | 7249 | 58.45 | 22 |
| 60 | MC Cowdrey (ENG) | 115 | 189 | 7625 | 43.82 | 22 |
| 61 | S Dhawan (INDIA) | 195 | 217 | 8482 | 40.97 | 22 |
| 62 | MEK Hussey (AUS) | 302 | 324 | 12398 | 49 | 22 |
| 63 | Ijaz Ahmed (PAK) | 310 | 324 | 9879 | 33.94 | 22 |
| 64 | RN Harvey (AUS) | 79 | 137 | 6149 | 48.41 | 21 |
| 65 | MD Crowe (NZ) | 220 | 271 | 10148 | 41.93 | 21 |
| 66 | RB Richardson (WI) | 310 | 363 | 12197 | 37.99 | 21 |
| 67 | Mohammad Hafeez (PAK) | 347 | 393 | 11713 | 32.26 | 21 |
| 68 | KF Barrington (ENG) | 82 | 131 | 6806 | 58.67 | 20 |
| 69 | CH Lloyd (WI) | 197 | 244 | 9492 | 44.98 | 20 |
| 70 | G Gambhir (INDIA) | 242 | 283 | 10324 | 38.95 | 20 |
| 71 | MA Taylor (AUS) | 217 | 296 | 11039 | 39.14 | 20 |
| 72 | RR Sarwan (WI) | 286 | 339 | 11944 | 40.48 | 20 |
| 73 | Tamim Iqbal (BDESH/ICC/World) | 317 | 367 | 12112 | 34.31 | 20 |
| 74 | CL Hooper (WI) | 329 | 379 | 11523 | 35.89 | 20 |
| 75 | Saleem Malik (PAK) | 386 | 410 | 12938 | 36.96 | 20 |
*The stats were updated on January 3, 2019.