In the format’s 52-year history, there have been less than a hundred batsmen who can stake their claim to have achieved the milestone of scoring 5000 runs in ODI cricket. With the sport of cricket now moving towards formats that are shorter and more “exciting”, emphasis is placed more on batsmen playing impactful roles and scoring their runs quickly and less on the longevity of an innings.
Therefore, to be able to achieve the landmark of 5000 runs in ODI cricket is an even more impressive feat in the modern game.
Here, we look at the list of batsmen to score the fastest 5000 runs in ODI cricket.
Fastest 5000 runs in ODI
The top 5 batsman who were the quickest to 5000 ODI runs are as follows:
| Batter Name | Country | Venue | Innings Taken | Years Taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | Karachi | 97 | 7y 339d |
| Hashim Amla | South Africa | Durban | 101 | 6y 313d |
| Viv Richards | West Indies | Melbourne | 114 | 11y 237d |
| Virat Kohli | India | Kochi | 114 | 5y 95d |
| David Warner | Australia | Wankhede | 115 | 10y 361d |
1. Babar Azam
Pakistan’s former captain and ace batsman Babar Azam holds the record for the fastest 5000 runs in ODI cricket history, reaching the landmark in just 97 innings. He achieved the feat in May 2023 during a game against New Zealand in Karachi. Ever since his arrival on the international scene in 2015, Babar Azam has been a run machine in all formats with a particular liking for the ODIs.
His record in the format is staggering, with 5729 runs in 117 matches at an incredible average of 56.72, scoring 19 hundreds and 32 fifties along the way. With his current trajectory, it would hardly be a surprise to see him surpass Hashim Amla’s record for the fastest to 6000 runs.
2. Hashim Amla
One of South Africa’s greatest-ever batsmen, Hashim Amla, affectionately known as “Mighty Hash”, was as efficient a run scorer as the game has seen. Achieving the milestone of 5000 ODI runs in 101 innings, he slots in second place on this list. He scored his 5000th run in a match against the West Indies in Durban in January of 2015.
With his elegant stroke-making, the Proteas opener scored a total of 8113 runs in the format in the 181 matches he played for them, with a healthy average of 49.4. He amassed 27 centuries in ODIs, which is the most by a South African player, along with his 39 half-centuries.
3. Viv Richards
The swash-buckling West Indian batsman is widely regarded as one of, if not the, greatest players of the game. His aggressive and fearless approach was well ahead of its time, and he had an innate ability to take the game away from the opposition. He reached the feat of 5000 runs in his 114th innings during a game against England in 1987, where he scored a match-winning half century.
Sir Viv ended his legendary career after representing the West Indies in 187 matches, scoring 6721 runs at an average of 47. He scored 11 centuries and 45 half-tons and won many matches for the mighty Windies.
4. Virat Kohli
At #4 on the list of fastest 5000 runs in ODI is Indian superstar and former captain Virat Kohli, who achieved the milestone in the same number of innings as Viv Richards (114). True to his moniker as “the master of the chase”, he got to the 5000-run mark in a match-winning half century against the West Indies while chasing during a game in Kochi in Nov 2013.
One of the greatest players of the game, Virat Kohli, has broken virtually every batting record in the cricketing books. In a career that started in 2008, Kohli has amassed 13,848 runs in 292 innings at an astounding average of 58.67. He holds the record for the most international hundreds in ODIs after scoring his 50th century in the recently concluded ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s 49.
5. David Warner
The Australian left-handed opening batsman is one of his side’s greatest-ever batters and has been a consistent performer on the international stage for well over a decade. He reached the milestone in 115 innings, just 1 short of Kohli and Richards. He scored his 5000th run in January 2020 at the Wankhehde stadium during a match against India.
The southpaw has had a legendary career, with 2 ODI World Cups to his name. He has represented Australia in 161 ODIs, scoring a total of 6932 runs at an average of 45.30 with an impressive SR of 97.26. He also has 22 centuries and 33 fifties to his name.
Sum Up
To achieve something for your country on the international stage is a great motivator for any athlete. When that achievement gets your own name in the record books, the pleasure derived from it becomes ten-fold. For a batsman, the feeling of scoring runs for your country and breaking individual records while doing so is an amazing feeling. To be one of the players to score the fastest 5000 runs in ODI cricket is one of those feelings.
The list is led by Babar Azam, who is the only one to have reached the milestone in less than 100 innings (97), followed by Hashim Amla, who crossed the mark in 101 innings.
The top two are followed by Sir Vivian Richards and Virat Kohli, two of the game’s biggest-ever superstars. Both of them achieved the feat in 114 innings and are followed by Australian opener David Warner, who took 115 innings to score 5000 runs.
