One Day International (ODI) cricket has generally been the most taxing among a cricketer’s professional approval tests. The requirements of the master skills, such as grit, resilience, and patience, in the scoring have been so tremendous that only a few cricketers have crossed the landmark of 7000 runs in their ODI career over the years.
When Quinton de Kock smashed his 50th run against Pakistan during the 3rd ODI match, he almost became the fastest batter in the history of cricket to be at this position. Let’s see who were those players who made the trip to 7000 ODI runs the quickest.
Fastest to 7000 runs in ODIs
5. AB de Villiers – 166 innings
To begin with, the first-name South African legend AB de Villiers, who reached the 7000 ODI run milestone in just 166 innings. The flashy Mr. 360 participated in 228 ODI matches in total and accumulated 9577 runs along the way.
He cashed throughout his 50-over career with 25 hundreds and 53 fifties, which speaks to his fluency and the speed at which he reached the milestones with the bat. It is interesting to note that the world record holder for the fastest ODI hundred has an average of 53.50 in the format with a strike rate of 101.09.
4. Virat Kohli – 161 innings
The greatest among the greats in the format, Virat Kohli attained 7,000 ODI runs in just 161 innings of his career total of 305 matches. In the milestone match against Australia, Kohli played a masterly knock of 117 off 117 balls to claim the landmark.
When he walked in at number three with India in trouble at 15 for 1, his knock not only helped revive Indian batting but also lead to the team posting a total of 295 runs. Though India lost the game eventually, Kohli’s legacy continues to shine like a diamond as he is the king of ODI records with more than 14,000 runs at an average of 57.71 and 51 centuries recorded against his name.
3) Kane Williamson – 159 innings
Kane “calm” Williamson’s magnificent 133 runs against South Africa in a tri-nation series match in Pakistan early this year made him cross the 7,000-run mark in ODIs during the 159th game. South Africa had given New Zealand a target of 304 runs, and Williamson, batting at number three, was excellent as he partnered well with Devon Conway.
New Zealand’s successful chase resulted in a six-wicket victory, and thus the milestone helped Williamson further reinforce his stature among the greats. He has played 175 ODIs so far, scoring 7,256 runs at an average of 48.69, which includes 47 fifties and 15 centuries.
2. Quinton de Kock – 158 innings
Quinton de Kock was just one inning behind Kane Williamson to achieve his 7,000-run mark in ODIs from 158 innings. He celebrated this record in the 3rd ODI against Pakistan on November 8 at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. First to bat, de Kock went up against Lhuan-dre Pretorius and, in reaching the milestone, scored 53 runs off 70 balls with the help of six fours and one six.
He has so far played 158 ODI matches, scored 22 centuries, and still remains one of the most powerful glovemen in cricket, even behind the stumps, since his debut in 2012.
1) Hashim Amla – 150 innings
Hashim Amla, the third South African to feature on the list, is the fastest to reach 7,000 runs in ODIs, taking just 150 matches for it. He was celebrating the milestone against England tying the scores of 154 chasing. Amla came out firing, scoring 55 runs in a quick 95-run partnership for the first wicket with Quinton de Kock.
The game that took place eight years back still symbolizes Amla’s greatness, and he is still the fastest to reach 7,000 ODI runs. The aged professional participated in 181 matches throughout his career, scored a total of 8,113 runs with an average of 49.46, and hit 27 hundreds and 39 fifties after facing 9,178 balls.
