Stats: Fastest players to score 20000 runs in International cricket

AB de Villiers made a resounding return to the Test format with seven fifties and a hundred in the eight matches in the ongoing season. He aggregated 685 runs in the 14 innings since his comeback at an average of 57.08. Only Aiden Markram (708) scored more runs in these eight games than De Villiers. More than the numbers, the importance of ABD’s knocks in this short span remain special. His counter-attacking innings changed the course of games to turn the series against India and Australia towards his side.

On the first day of the Johannesburg Test, De Villiers started off slowly taking 41 balls for scoring his first boundary. AB de Villiers, who was batting on 23 off 76 balls, added 46 runs in the next 43 deliveries before getting caught behind off the debutant Chadd Sayers. Thus, the Australian pacer became only the 4th player after John Hastings, Mohammad Irfan and Jasprit Bumrah to make De Villiers as their maiden Test wicket. The 34-year-old got out scoring a 119-ball 69 that included seven fours and six.

With a single off Matt Renshaw on the 3rd delivery of the 79th over, AB de Villiers completed 20000 runs in International cricket and became the 11th player to achieve this milestone. De Villiers is only the 2nd player from South Africa to achieve the milestone after Jacques Kallis who aggregated 25534 runs in his 19-year career. ABD’s tally of 20008 runs in International cricket includes the 150 runs he scored for Africa XI in the ODI games against Asia XI.

AB de Villiers needed 483 innings to complete 20000 International runs as he became the 4th quickest to reach the milestone. Sachin Tendulkar was the first player to complete 20000 runs in International cricket which he reached in only 453 innings. His record remains unbroken as Brian Lara could only equal Tendulkar’s feat taking 453 innings for the 20k milestone. Sanath Jayasuriya is the slowest among to complete the feat as he needed 603 innings.

Fastest players to 20000 runs in International cricket: (In terms of innings)

(Stats as on March 30, 2018)