Top 10 Openers with most runs in ODIs

Top 10 Openers with most runs in ODIs: ODI cricket was still finding acceptance and reckoning when it was first introduced in 1971. Limited overs cricket is meant to be more entertaining and as a result, over the years this format of the game has been remodelled time and again to favour the batsmen. Shorter boundaries, flatter pitches and meatier bats have been the result. Though high-class batsmen manage to score runs on every deck, the change in nature of the game has not gone unnoticed. For instance, the field restrictions have ensured that opening batsmen mostly go berserk in the initial overs and once they are set, the opposition is on the mat. Below we are listing the Top 10 Openers with most runs in ODIs: 10. Graeme Smith (South Africa) – 6974 runs: Graeme Smith. (© STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images) Smith made 6989 runs in his ODI career and only 15 of them came at a position other than opening the innings. This shows what a valuable asset he was at the top of the order. It is always good to have a left-hander opening as he can nullify the opposition plans with his range and glorious shots. In most of these 196 matches, Smith also lead the Proteas scoring 10 centuries and 47 half centuries. ‘Biff’ as he is popularly called didn’t allow the opening bowlers to dominate. His achievements as a batsman are significant but most importantly he gave South Africa the confidence to win both home and away. Also Read – Top 10 Captains with most ODI centuries 9. Tillakratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) – 7084 runs: Tillakaratne Dilshan. (© Getty Images) With his relentless aggression and innovative shot’s Tillakratne Dilshan is one of the most exciting batsmen in the game today. For a large part, he was in oblivion but discovered a new leaf after he was promoted to open the innings. Who can forget the ‘DilScoop’, the shot which made headlines during the 2009 World T20. Though he is at number nine in the list the average (47.22) is just second to Sachin Tendulkar. He has scored these runs at an amazing strike rate of over 88 with 21 centuries. 8. Virender Sehwag (India) – 7518 runs: Virender Sehwag. (© Getty Images) Viru performed much better in the Tests which is surprising given his batting style. Nonetheless, he terrorized quite a few bowling attacks even in the 50-over format. His inclusion in the list is a little edgy because he has an average of just 36.49. In the 214 games, he has 14 centuries at a strike rate of over 104 which is highest amongst all in the list. He is said to be a poor converter of starts, but that can be attributed to the fact that his primary job is to dent the opposition’s confidence with a flurry of boundaries in the first 15 overs. 7. Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) – 8156 runs: Saeed Anwar. (© Getty Images) Pakistan is usually said to be a land of bowlers, but Saeed Anwar defied the odds by becoming a world-class batsman, especially in ODIs. Anwar ensured that his country remained one of the most consistent teams of the 90s in this format by displaying some excellent batting performances. Majestic timing and placement were his hallmarks. In 220 games as an opener, he scored at an average of 39.98 managing 20 classy centuries. His 194 against India remained the highest ODI score for a substantial duration. 6. Desmond Haynes (West Indies) – 8648 runs: Desmond Haynes. (© Popperfoto/Getty Images) Desmond Haynes is the only man in this list to have played during most part of the 1980s. He was one of the few openers back then, who reveled in the ODI format, which was relatively nascent in those days. Although he had a strike rate of just over 63 his average of above 41 was brilliant considering there was so little of ODI cricket those days. He made 17 tons and 57 half centuries, in his 16-year stay at the top of the order for the West Indies. ‘Dessie’ as he was known was the perfect partner to the destructive Gordon Greenidge and together they were considered one of the finest opening pairs in cricket history. 5. Chris Gayle (West Indies) – 8920 runs: Chris Gayle. (© Getty Images) A thrusting Jamaican left-hander Gayle has intimidated most bowling attacks he has come up against. In 248 matches as an opener, he scored 22 tons and 46 half-centuries at an average of close to 40. The explosive opener has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers. And in this era of big hitting, Gayle is a batsman who has thrived like no other. His long reach helps to get to the pitch of the ball and he creams deliveries over the infield with utter nonchalance. But he is pretty formidable square of the wicket as well. He made his maiden ODI double hundred this year in the ODI World Cup match against Zimbabwe. Arguably Gayle is perhaps the hardest hitter of the cricket cherry. 4. Sourav Ganguly (India) – 9146 runs: Sourav Ganguly. (© Getty Images) Dada was also the second on the list of most ODI hundreds for India before Virat took over recently. He may not have been a great Test batsman but one of the best in the business in the limited overs. What was remarkable is despite being dumped soon after his ODI debut in 1992 he went on to play 242 games as an opener and led the side in most of them. He and Sachin formed a pair which was deemed an all time best. His captaincy tenure has got to be one of the most chronicled ones in recent history. With a strike rate of 73.5 and 19 tons to his name he deservedly sits at number 4 in the list. 3. Adam Gilchrist (Australia) – 9200 runs: Adam Gilchrist. (© Getty Images) Adam Gilchrist may have batted at No.7 in Test cricket, but in ODIs he made the opener’s slot his own by his instinctive and powerful striking of the ball. It was in ODIs where he was recognized first by the cricketing world, as he made his debut against South Africa at Faridabad in 1996. Like the others in this list, Gilly was promoted up the order gradually when his team needed an aggressive batsman at the top. Being a wicket-keeper is also no easy task, but such was Adam Gilchrist’s fitness that he was able to open the batting in 265 out of the 287 one-day games he has played for Australia in his 12-year career. His strike rate of 98.2 speaks volumes about his ability. Ask the Sri Lankan bowlers of the 2007 World Cup final in the Caribbean and you will find out more. 2. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – 12,740 runs: Sanath Jayasuriya. (© LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Sanath Jayasuriya is to Sri Lanka, what Sachin Tendulkar is to India. Both are short but powerful when it comes to their batting. At the moment, he stands as the third highest run-scorer in the one-day game, behind Sachin and Ricky Ponting. An aggregate of 12,740 runs in 388 matches at a strike rate of 92.4 shows that age cannot be detrimental to consistency as he played in the same vein for most of his career. He also made 28 centuries and a whopping 66 half centuries for these runs. 1. Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 15,310 runs: Sachin Tendulkar. (© Getty Images) While he is deemed at par with Don Bradman when it comes to Test cricket, Sachin has hardly any competitor and is the undisputed Talisman of ODI cricket. He has been a standout player for the country and the torch-bearer of the nation’s hopes for more than 20 years. The argument which goes in his favour to be the greatest ODI batsman is the fact that he played in three different generations. His records are as distant as Bangalore is to Barbados for a contemporary batsman. His record for the highest number of runs and tons in this format have never been threatened till date by any player and is unlikely to be in the future. His average of 48.2 in these 344 matches is ample testimony to his prowess. Also Read – Top 10 Openers with most runs in Tests (All Stats Updated Till 24th October, 2015)

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Top 10 Openers with most runs in ODIs

7. Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) – 8156 runs:

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