There have been many players who have impressed fans and experts while playing List A cricket. Before getting into their respective national sides, players often score many runs in domestic List A matches. Many players like Sachin Tendulkar, Graham Gooch, Allan Lamb and many more. Here is a look at the top 10 highest run scorers in List A career.
Most runs scored in List A career
Player | Span | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s |
Graham Gooch (England) | 1973-1997 | 613 | 22,211 | 198* | 40.16 | 44 | 139 |
Graeme Hick (England) | 1983-2008 | 651 | 22,059 | 172* | 41.30 | 40 | 139 |
Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 1989-2012 | 551 | 21,999 | 200* | 45.54 | 60 | 114 |
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 1997-2020 | 529 | 19,456 | 169 | 43.52 | 39 | 120 |
Viv Richards (West Indies) | 1973-1993 | 500 | 16,995 | 189* | 41.96 | 26 | 109 |
Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 1992-2013 | 456 | 16,363 | 164 | 41.74 | 34 | 99 |
Gordon Greenidge (West Indies) | 1970-1992 | 440 | 16,349 | 186* | 40.56 | 33 | 94 |
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) | 1989-2011 | 557 | 16,128 | 189 | 31.19 | 31 | 82 |
Allan Lamb (England) | 1972-1995 | 484 | 15,658 | 132* | 39.14 | 19 | 98 |
Desmond Haynes (West Indies) | 1977-1997 | 419 | 15,651 | 152* | 42.07 | 28 | 110 |
Graham Gooch (England): 22,211 runs
Former England top-order batter, Graham Gooch has the highest runs in List A cricket. The right-handed batter scored 22,211 runs. Playing in England, Gooch had to play in conditions more suitable to bowlers. His highest score in the format was 198* which came in the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1982 against Sussex. In that match, Gooch while opening the innings batted for the entirety of 55 overs against a bowling attack which consisted of the likes of Imran Khan and Ian Greig. The English batter was not only a force to be reckoned with in limited overs but was also a dominant player in red-ball cricket and scored 45,000 runs in first-class cricket.
Graeme Hick (England): 22,059 runs
Often the lists for most runs in every format are dominated by top-order batters. Graeme Hick is one of those rare players who scored the second most runs in List A cricket all the while batting in the middle order. Hick scored 22,059 in his 25-year-long career. He is one of those who often impressed in the English domestic scene but could never perform at a similar level while playing International cricket. First-class being a more dominant format for him, Hick scored 41,112 runs and 136 centuries in the format but still could only manage to play 65 tests while being in and out of side regularly in an international career spanning a decade.
Sachin Tendulkar (India): 21,999 runs
Just one run short of 22,000 runs, Sachin Tendulkar ended his career as the third-highest run scorer in List A cricket. Tendulkar was the complete batter not just of his time but of all time. Sachin played ODIs for most of his career which speaks to his capability as a batter in limited overs. He holds the record for scoring the most runs in ODIs and Test matches. The right-handed batter had the highest score of 200* runs not out. He became the first batter to score a double-century in ODIs in 2010 against South Africa.
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka): 19,456 runs
Kumar Sangakkara scored 19,456 runs in List A cricket. He could have easily ended up with more runs but often in ODIs, he would throw away his wicket after being set for a high score. Even after retiring from ODIs in 2015, the legendary Sri Lanka wicketkeeper batter elongated his List A career by another five years finally retiring from List A cricket in 2020.
Viv Richards (West Indies): 16,995 runs
Leader of one of the greatest sides in limited overs, Viv Richards was the greatest batter of his time. Richards scored 16,995 runs in 500 List A matches. He was one of the few batters who had a higher batting average in ODI cricket in comparison to List A cricket. He was part of the West Indies team which won the World Cup in 1979.