Batsmen with Most Runs in Test Cricket

Often, Test cricket is considered an epitome of patience, resistance and belligerence in many possible ways. Over the decades, the traditional format has left an indelible mark. And for professionals on the field, it eventually takes those grueling years to get etched into memories. Moreover, players with most runs in Test cricket also had to face a torrid time during their respective careers in the traditional fold.

With consistency being one of the main aspects to succeed on the cricketing field, the veteran cricketers had further graced one season after another.

Likewise, it has often been hard for teams to win away series, but with the time, the teams are learning the trait well by dictating the terms.

With the establishing voices in the commentary box, the Test cricket has further generated interest among many former cricketers to try a hand in analyzing the game.

By weaving the magic with their respective knocks, players have had shown the courage, intensity to bail out teams of any precarious situation.

Scoring runs and that too in Test cricket has been always an intriguing chapter in such a classic format. And the unconditional love for the Test fold has kept its mission stronger than ever with every passing season.

Here’s the list of players with most runs in Test cricket:

1. Sachin Tendulkar:

Some character with the bat Sachin Tendulkar has had set various enticing examples of being bold and equally brave to weather the storm.

The batting great Tendulkar himself featured in 200 Test matches for Team India which in itself is a massive achievement for a cricketer who stayed away for quite a time owing to multiple injuries.

In 329 Test innings, God Of Cricket Tendulkar garnered 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78. By the first look, it might seem pretty straightforward but remind yourself for a brief moment of walking in his shoes. Wouldn’t it look like a mountain to climb? Exactly, that’s my point.

2. Ricky Ponting:

Veteran Australian National Cricket Team captain Ricky Ponting had amassed 13,378 runs before announcing his retirement from Test cricket.

Listed second on the list of players with most Test runs, Ponting represented Australia in 168 Tests. He scored 13,000-odd runs at an average of 51.85 in 287 Test innings.

The exquisite timer of the ball, Ponting goes down as one of the premium Test batters across the globe. An inspiration for many youngsters, Ponting’s rich vein of form had also kept Australia at the top.

3. Jacques Kallis:

On every occasion, Jacques Kallis should be in the all-time favorite list for his consistency and exceptional skills to adapt according to the situation.

Amicable in his nature, Kallis had delivered goods for South Africa with his sheer brilliance. The man of few words had been the center of attraction while talking with the bat and ball as well.

In 166 Test outings, Kallis scored 13,289 runs at an average of 55.37. He further went out to bat in 280 Test innings for the Proteas. Also, he represented the world cricket governing body International Cricket Council (ICC) team as well.

4. Rahul Dravid:

Gritty in his approach, Rahul Dravid many-a-times had steadied the ship. Former Team India batsman Dravid had grabbed many eyeballs f0r his deterrence and composure to neutralize any threat on his given day.

The right-hander played some significant innings for Indian National Cricket Team before walking off as one of the stalwarts of the game.

Karnataka-based star amassed 13,288 runs at an average of 52.31 in 286 Test innings.

He bids adieu to the traditional cricket after playing his 164^th Test match.

5. Alastair Cook:

Alastair Cook might have struggled at the fag end of his exciting Test career, but he had already achieved to boast about. Clinical in his procedure, Cook had left a significant impact in the English cricket before becoming leading Test scorer from England.

Owing to an enigma, Cook put an onus on himself to fetch results. He represented the Three Lions in 161 Tests before bowing out at The Oval Oval. In his last Test, he smashed 147 against India to make it a more cherishable moment of his life.

Cook scored 12,472 runs at an average of 45.35 in 291 Test innings.

6. Kumar Sangakkara:

Pleasing for the eyes, Sri Lanka National Cricket Team’s Kumar Sangakkara’s shot selection has further left many in awe. Known for playing longer innings, Sangakkara rendered services to his Island nation in all possible ways.

Often than not, the southpaw had enjoyed a remarkable run with the bat. He registered 12,400 runs in his 134 Tests. Sangakkara amassed those runs at the staggering average of 57.4 in 233 Test innings. And this is some feat.

7. Brian Lara:

With traditional format witnessing some of the greats, Brian Charles Lara was no exception. Having the intent to score runs at pace, Lara further had a knack of piercing the gaps.

With many having the liking for Lara’s batting dominance, he walked in to celebrate in his own way.

Lara in total scored 11,953 runs at an average of 52.88 in 232 innings off 131 Test matches. Lara is one of the Windies batsmen with most runs in Test cricket.

8. Shivnarine Chanderpaul:

Another Windies veteran is in the list in the form of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Elegant in his nature, Chanderpaul has made a significant contribution to the Caribbean team during his entire career. Chanderpaul is eighth overall on the leader board with most runs in Test cricket.

The left-handed batsman Chanderpaul scored 11,867 runs at an average of 51.37 in 280 Test innings. While representing the Windies in 164 Tests, Chanderpaul had won many accolades for his resilience.

Even after announcing his retirement from the international cricket, Chanderpaul continues his ascendancy in the first-class cricket alongside his son Tagenarine Chanderpaul.

9. Mahela Jayawardene:

Mahela Jayawardene as an astute leader reaped the rewards for Sri Lanka amid his run spree. He is ninth on the list with most runs in Test cricket

Known for his immaculate approach, Jayawardene represented Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2017.

During his stay with the national team, Jayawardene scored 11,814 runs at an average of 49.84 in 149 Tests which comprised of 252 innings. He also registered 34 hundred and 50 fifties while donning the whites for the Island nation.

Jayawardene, who has been a bit more articulate further, played a massive hand in Sri Lanka’s success during his tenure as a leader.

10. Allan Border:

It would be satisfying for a player like Allan Border to look back at his stupendous Test career only to feel proud. He is among the batsmen who scored most runs in Test cricket.

Former Australia skipper had been remarkable in his approach only to see the bright side of the things. With an aggressive sort of nature, Border made things ridiculously easy.

Prominent Australian cricketer, Border amassed 11,174 runs in 265 Test innings after featuring in his 156^th overall Test.

He also had 27 tons and 63 half-centuries to his name. Also, Border is considered as one of the best leaders Australia had in the national fold.

	Batsmen with most runs in Test cricket
Serial No.	Player	Matches	Innings	Total Runs	Average
1	SR Tendulkar (INDIA)	200	329	15921	53.78
2	RT Ponting (AUS)	168	287	13378	51.85
3	JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	166	280	13289	55.37
4	R Dravid (ICC/INDIA)	164	286	13288	52.31
5	AN Cook (ENG)	161	291	12472	45.35
6	KC Sangakkara (SL)	134	233	12400	57.4
7	BC Lara (ICC/WI)	131	232	11953	52.88
8	S Chanderpaul (WI)	164	280	11867	51.37
9	DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	149	252	11814	49.84
10	AR Border (AUS)	156	265	11174	50.56
11	SR Waugh (AUS)	168	260	10927	51.06
12	SM Gavaskar (INDIA)	125	214	10122	51.12
13	Younis Khan (PAK)	118	213	10099	52.05
14	GC Smith (ICC/SA)	117	205	9265	48.25
15	HM Amla (SA)	119	205	9022	47.23
16	GA Gooch (ENG)	118	215	8900	42.58
17	Javed Miandad (PAK)	124	189	8832	52.57
18	Inzamam-ul-Haq (ICC/PAK)	120	200	8830	49.6
19	VVS Laxman (INDIA)	134	225	8781	45.97
20	AB de Villiers (SA)	114	191	8765	50.66
21	MJ Clarke (AUS)	115	198	8643	49.1
22	ML Hayden (AUS)	103	184	8625	50.73
23	V Sehwag (ICC/INDIA)	104	180	8586	49.34
24	IVA Richards (WI)	121	182	8540	50.23
25	AJ Stewart (ENG)	133	235	8463	39.54
26	DI Gower (ENG)	117	204	8231	44.25
27	KP Pietersen (ENG)	104	181	8181	47.28
28	G Boycott (ENG)	108	193	8114	47.72
29	GS Sobers (WI)	93	160	8032	57.78
30	ME Waugh (AUS)	128	209	8029	41.81
31	MA Atherton (ENG)	115	212	7728	37.69
32	IR Bell (ENG)	118	205	7727	42.69
33	JL Langer (AUS)	105	182	7696	45.27
34	MC Cowdrey (ENG)	114	188	7624	44.06
35	CG Greenidge (WI)	108	185	7558	44.72
36	Mohammad Yousuf (PAK)	90	156	7530	52.29
37	MA Taylor (AUS)	104	186	7525	43.49
38	CH Lloyd (WI)	110	175	7515	46.67
39	DL Haynes (WI)	116	202	7487	42.29
40	DC Boon (AUS)	107	190	7422	43.65
41	G Kirsten (SA)	101	176	7289	45.27
42	WR Hammond (ENG)	85	140	7249	58.45
43	CH Gayle (WI)	103	182	7214	42.18
44	SC Ganguly (INDIA)	113	188	7212	42.17
45	SP Fleming (NZ)	111	189	7172	40.06
46	GS Chappell (AUS)	87	151	7110	53.86
47	AJ Strauss (ENG)	100	178	7037	40.91
48	DG Bradman (AUS)	52	80	6996	99.94
49	ST Jayasuriya (SL)	110	188	6973	40.07
50	L Hutton (ENG)	79	138	6971	56.67
51	DB Vengsarkar (INDIA)	116	185	6868	42.13
52	KF Barrington (ENG)	82	131	6806	58.67
53	GP Thorpe (ENG)	100	179	6744	44.66
54	JE Root (ENG)	77	141	6508	50.44
55	BB McCullum (NZ)	101	176	6453	38.64
56	LRPL Taylor (NZ)	89*	158	6406	46.08
57	V Kohli (INDIA)	75*	127	6405	54.27
58	DA Warner (AUS)	74	137	6363	48.2
59	PA de Silva (SL)	93	159	6361	42.97
60	MEK Hussey (AUS)	79	137	6235	51.52
61	RB Kanhai (WI)	79	137	6227	47.53
62	M Azharuddin (INDIA)	99	147	6215	45.03
63	SPD Smith (AUS)	64	117	6199	61.37
64	HH Gibbs (SA)	90	154	6167	41.95
65	RN Harvey (AUS)	79	137	6149	48.41
66	GR Viswanath (INDIA)	91	155	6080	41.93
67	RB Richardson (WI)	86	146	5949	44.39
68	RR Sarwan (WI)	87	154	5842	40.01
69	ME Trescothick (ENG)	76	143	5825	43.79
70	DCS Compton (ENG)	78	131	5807	50.06
71	Saleem Malik (PAK)	103	154	5768	43.69
72	N Hussain (ENG)	96	171	5764	37.18
73	CL Hooper (WI)	102	173	5762	36.46
74	KS Williamson (NZ)	69*	122	5724	51.56
75	MP Vaughan (ENG)	82	147	5719	41.44
76	Azhar Ali (PAK)	70	133	5610	44.88
77	AC Gilchrist (AUS)	96	137	5570	47.6
78	MV Boucher (ICC/SA)	147	206	5515	30.3
79	MS Atapattu (SL)	90	156	5502	39.02
80	TM Dilshan (SL)	87	145	5492	40.98
81	TT Samaraweera (SL)	81	132	5462	48.76
82	MD Crowe (NZ)	77	131	5444	45.36
83	JB Hobbs (ENG)	61	102	5410	56.94
84	AD Mathews (SL)	79*	141	5379	43.37
85	KD Walters (AUS)	74	125	5357	48.26
86	IM Chappell (AUS)	75	136	5345	42.42
87	JG Wright (NZ)	82	148	5334	37.82
88	MJ Slater (AUS)	74	131	5312	42.83
89	N Kapil Dev (INDIA)	131	184	5248	31.05
90	WM Lawry (AUS)	67	123	5234	47.15
91	Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK)	75	132	5222	46.62
92	IT Botham (ENG)	102	161	5200	33.54
93	JH Edrich (ENG)	77	127	5138	43.54
94	CA Pujara (INDIA)	66*	110	5122	50.71
95	A Ranatunga (SL)	93	155	5105	35.69
96	Zaheer Abbas (PAK)	78	124	5062	44.79

*The stats (most runs in Test cricket) were updated on December 15, 2018.