Asia Cup is a continental tournament that usually takes place every two years. Players from all participating teams strive to give their best and achieve the Champions title. Since its inception in 1984, some remarkable batting performances have been showcased. In this blog, we will enlist the top 10 players who have scored the most runs in Asia Cup history in ODI format.
Without further ado, let’s dig in!
List of 10 Batters With the Most Runs in Asia Cup History
Below is the list of 10 batters with the most runs in Asia Cup History
| Player Name | Runs | Matches | Average | Srike Rate | Highest Score | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 15921 | 200 | 53.78 | 54.04 | 248* | 51 | 68 |
| Ricky Ponting | 13378 | 168 | 51.85 | 58.72 | 257 | 41 | 62 |
| Jacques Kallis | 13289 | 168 | 55.37 | 45.97 | 224 | 45 | 58 |
| Rahul Dravid | 13288 | 164 | 52.31 | 42.51 | 270 | 36 | 63 |
| Alastair Cook | 12472 | 161 | 45.35 | 46.95 | 294 | 33 | 57 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 12400 | 134 | 57.4 | 54.19 | 319 | 38 | 52 |
| Brian Lara | 11953 | 131 | 52.88 | 60.51 | 400* | 34 | 48 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 11867 | 164 | 51.37 | 43.31 | 203* | 30 | 66 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 11814 | 149 | 49.84 | 51.45 | 374 | 34 | 50 |
| Joe Root | 11416 | 135 | 50.29 | 56.75 | 254 | 30 | 60 |
1. Sanath Jayasuriya
The Sri Lankan superstar tops this list with 1220 runs in 25 matches. Jayasuriya was known to be quite destructive and aggressive in his batting style. He played with an excellent strike rate of 102.52. In fact, this is the highest strike rate by any batter in Asia Cup history.
The former Sri Lankan skipper holds the record for smashing the maximum number of centuries in Asia Cup history (6). He played with a batting average of 53.04 and slammed 139 fours in his Asia Cup career.
A testament to Jayasuriya’s batting talents is the fact that he was the leading run-scorer of the 9th edition of the Asia Cup (held in 2008) with 378 runs. His highest score in the Asia Cup was 130 against Bangladesh in 2008, for which he was named the Man of the Match. He also holds the record for scoring the 2nd fastest century in Asia Cup history off only 55 balls.
2. Kumar Sangakkara
From 2004 to 2014, the legendary Sri Lankan icon played a pivotal role in representing and leading his team in the Asia Cup. He scored a sum of 1075 runs at an average of 48.86. The left-handed batsman enjoys the record for scoring the maximum number of half-centuries in Asia Cup history (12).
Sangakkara scored 4 centuries in his Asia Cup career. 3 of these 4 hundreds were scored in a single edition (2008), making it a record in itself. He played with a strike rate of 85.51 and is known for many remarkable performances. One of his most famous knocks is that against Bangladesh in 2008, where he succeeded in putting 121 runs on board.
3. Sachin Tendulkar
The classy Indian icon lands on the third spot on the list of batters with the most runs in Asia Cup history. He scored 971 runs in 23 matches. Playing at an average of 51.1, Sachin contributed to his team’s success numerous times.
In his 22-year Asia Cup career, he scored 7 fifties and 2 hundreds. Both of his centuries were against Bangladesh in 2012 and 1995, respectively. Sachin played at a strike rate of 85.47 in the Asia Cup ODI format.
4. Rohit Sharma
The charismatic captain of the Indian National Team, over all formats, has scored 939 runs in 27 matches. Rohit debuted in the Asia Cup in 2008 (9th edition) and has continued to showcase his batting talent ever since.
He plays at an average of 46.95 and has scored 9 half-centuries and a century in this continental tournament. His highest Asia Cup score was 111* against Pakistan in 2018. Sharma currently holds the record for hitting the maximum number of sixes in Asia Cup history (28).
5. Mushfiqur Rahim
The wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 830 runs at a decent strike rate of 83.08. He has represented Bangladesh in 25 Asia Cup matches so far and plays at an average of 36.09. Rahim has slammed 3 half-centuries and 2 centuries so far in this tournament.
Perhaps the most memorable of Rahim’s performances is that against Sri Lanka in 2018 at Dubai International Stadium. He slammed a personal score of 144 runs on board, contributing significantly to his team’s triumph.
6. Shoaib Malik
The classy Pakistani batsman is the only representative of his country in this list of batters with the most runs in Asia Cup history. The right-handed batsman has accumulated a sum of 786 runs in his 18-year Asia Cup career that ended back in 2018. He played at a highly impressive strike rate of 99.74 and has 3 centuries and 3 half centuries to his name.
Malik was also named as the highest run scorer in the 8th edition of the Asia Cup in 2004 with 316 runs. He displayed his incredible batting skills in 17 matches and played at a mighty average of 65.5. He made his Asia Cup highest score of a whopping 143 runs against India in 2004.
7. Virat Kholi
The Indian star has piled up 742 runs in his career of 15 years. He plays at an exceptional average of 61.83 and has scored one half-century so far. Virat and Sangakkara share the record for scoring the second-highest number of centuries in the Asia Cup so far with four. He was named as the leading run scorer with 357 runs in the 11th edition of this tournament in 2012.
The former Indian captain holds the record for scoring the highest individual score in the Asia Cup. He made this record against Pakistan in 2012 by slamming 183 runs (off 148 balls). Virat’s strike rate in this tournament is the 4th highest, at 99.74.
8. Arjuna Ranatunga
The former Sri Lankan captain is regarded as one of the most successful batters of his time. In his 9 Asia Cup matches, he accumulated a total of 741 runs. He played at a strike rate of 82.79 and had 6 half-centuries to his name.
Ranatunga’s batting powers in the Asia Cup were phenomenal. He was named as the leading run scorer in 2 editions of this International tournament. He scored 166 runs in the 1991 (4th edition) and 105 runs in the 1986 (2nd edition). He was also a vital member of the 1986 Sri Lanka Asia Cup team that ended up in them winning their maiden ODI Asia Cup.
9. Mahela Jayawardene
The elegant Sri Lankan player is 9th on the list of batters with the most runs in Asia Cup history. Mahela represented his team in the Asia Cups from 2000-2014 and scored 674 runs. He played 28 matches at an average of 29.3.
The former Sri Lankan skipper made 7 half-centuries in his 14-year Asia Cup career. He played at a strike rate of 87.65 in this continental tournament. His highest score in the Asia Cup is 78 off 59 deliveries. It came against India in Mirpur during the 11th Edition of this tournament.
10. MS Dhoni
The wicketkeeper-batsman scored 648 runs at an average of 64.8. The former Indian captain scored 3 half-centuries and a maiden century in this Asian tournament.
Known to be aggressive in his batting style, Mahendra Singh played at a strike rate of 87.68. He produced many outstanding performances in his Asia Cup career. However, his most remarkable knock was against Hong Kong in 2008. He scored an unbeaten 109 runs off 96 balls and contributed towards his team’s win by a huge margin.
Conclusion
Sri Lankan and Indian players have heavily dominated this list of batters with the most runs in Asia Cup History. 4 out of 10 players were from Sri Lanka, 4 players from India, and 1 player each from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Sanath Jayasuriya’s record remains a highlight despite his retirement from International cricket in 2008. He currently holds the prestigious records for most centuries, most fours, the highest strike rate, and the leading run-scorer in Asia Cup history.
