• Home
  • Top Most
  • Top Five South African Batsmen With Most Runs In A Single Icc World Cup Edition

Top Five South African Batsmen With Most Runs In A Single ICC World Cup Edition

image-lofz81kmJacques Kallis during the 2007 World Cup (x.com)

South Africa’s history in ICC Cricket ODI World Cups is punctuated by countless moments of sheer batting brilliance across all aspects of the game. Known for their charismatic and explosive brand of batsmanship, the lush green pitches and echoing World Cup venues have borne witness to a legacy of South African batters who have left an indelible mark, enchanting fans and writing their names in the archives of cricketing lore.

As we celebrate South Africa’s World Cup journey, here at OneCricket, we take a look at five Proteas batting veterans who stood out among the rest with their exceptional scoring splurge, by racking up the most runs for their side in any single edition of the tournament.

Top 5 Most Runs for South Africa in a Single ICC World Cup:

Batsmen
Runs
World Cup Edition
Quinton de Kock 545*2023
Jacques Kallis 4852007
AB de Villiers 4822015
Graeme Smith 4432007
Peter Kirsten 4101992


1. Quinton de Kock - 545 runs in 2023 World Cup

image-lofybdqyQuinton de Kock at the 2023 World Cup (AP)

South Africa’s dashing opener Quinton de Kock, with 545 runs to his name at the 2023 World Cup, stands at the zenith of his country’s most prolific batters in a single edition of the ODI spectacle. With the ongoing World Cup still unfolding, his astonishing achievement signifies that he has the potential to extend his record further and etch his name deeper into the documents of South Africa’s World Cup batting lore.

The cricketer has already belted four centuries to his name, and has also emerged as the leading run-scorer of the competition overall. Interestingly, his participation in the ongoing tournament marks his final set of ODI fixtures, considering he has announced his retirement from the format prior to its launch, and the charismatic opener is making sure that he departs at the peak of his powers.


2. Jacques Kallis - 485 runs in 2007 World Cup

image-lofyxat9Jacques Kallis (x.com)

South African batting great Jacques Kallis was at this ferocious best at the 2007 World Cup for his country, minting 485 runs from just nine innings, with a ton and three half-centuries to his name. The dynamic all-rounder orchestrated South African wins in crunch Super Eight games, especially through his crafty 80s against Sri Lanka and West Indies. He also blasted a rapid 128* against Netherlands in one of the Group matches in Basseterre.

Remarkably, Kallis’ average of 80.83 stood even higher than 2007 World Cup beast Matthew Hayden, who finished his run holding an average of 73.22. Despite his best efforts, South Africa fell short of a rampaging Australian unit in the semi-finals, thus halting his country’s World Cup dream once again in the knockouts.


3. AB de Villiers - 482 runs in 2015 World Cup

image-lofyz7q3AB de Villiers at the 2015 World Cup (AP)

AB de Villiers produced 482 runs for South Africa at the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and the cricketer did so while shouldering the additional baggage of captaincy. While he finished third on the leading run-getters list behind Martin Guptill and Kumar Sangakkara, Villiers’ astonishing tournament strike-rate of 144.31 stood second behind none among batters with more than 400 runs in the competition.

The legendary Proteas batsman also unfurled one of the innings of a lifetime when he bludgeoned West Indies at the SCG with a brutal 162-run assault from just 66 balls. AB de Villiers scored three additional half-centuries in the tournament, including a quickfire 65* in a tense semifinal showdown against New Zealand, where his side lost in the penultimate ball to crash out of the race.


4. Graeme Smith - 443 runs in 2007 World Cup

image-lofz3864Graeme Smith at the 2007 World Cup (x.com)

Much like Jacques Kallis, then South African captain Graeme Smith stood out as one of the pillars of his country’s World Cup 2007 crusade in the Caribbean. Moreover, both Kallis and Smith were the only Proteas batters to feature in the top 10 run-scoring charts of the competition.

The dashing opening batsman racked up 443 runs across 10 World Cup 2007 innings, with five half-centuries to his name. His 59 against Sri Lanka, 89* against England and 67 against Scotland laid out the foundation of some emphatic South African wins, which subsequently paved a clear path towards their road to the knockouts.


5. Peter Kirsten - 410 runs in 1992 World Cup

image-lofz5ukwPeter Kirsten at the 1992 World Cup (x.com)

Having played their first-ever ODI just a year prior to the 1992 World Cup, the South African unit punched above its weight to secure one of the four available slots in the semifinals. One of the pillars of South Africa’s successful runs in their maiden World Cup edition, was a certain Peter Kirsten who scored nearly a third of his ODI career runs during the month-long event in Australia.

Turning up for his side in their eight tournament fixtures, Kirsten cracked over 400 runs to emerge as the third leading run-getter of the competition. The cricketer averaged above 68 and piled up four half-centuries, including match-winning ones against West Indies and India.