Year full of runs – 5 batsmen who scored most international runs in a year
With all three formats in full bloom, international cricket has enjoyed jam-packed calendars for a quite a long time. The coronavirus pandemic has brought it to a halt, but many batsmen have relished a year full of a purple patch in all three formats of the game. These are the top five instance of batsmen scoring the most international runs in a calendar year.
Kane Williamson – 2015
New Zealand’s captain and star batsman, Williamson is all set to dominate the run charts for his nation in all three formats. The much-loved cricketer amassed 2,692 runs from 39 international appearances in 2015. In the calendar year, he celebrated 8 centuries and 14 half-centuries.
Virat Kohli – 2018 & 2017
The Indian star appears in the top five not once, but twice. In 2018, Kohli added 2,735 runs to his international career. He averaged 68.37 while adding these many runs in just 37 matches. In one year, he scored 11 centuries and nine half-centuries. His tally of centuries is just one short than Sachin Tendulkar’s tally in 1998.
2017 was Kohli’s purple patch which continued the next year. In 2017, he accumulated 2,818 runs at an average of 68.73 in 46 matches. He got past the hundred-run mark 11 times in this year also with 10 fifties. Kohli’s tally is the highest for an Indian batsman in international cricket.
Ricky Ponting – 2005
Australia’s most successful captain Ricky Ponting ruled the roost in 2005. It was his golden year as he crossed the tally of 2500 runs for the second time in his career. He amassed 2,833 runs in that calendar year at an average of 56.66 with 9 hundreds and 15 fifties.
Kumar Sangakkara – 2014
The Sri Lankan batsman kept plundering runs while no one was looking at him. He takes the top spot in this record list. The left-hander scored a total of 2,868 runs in 2014 while averaging around 53. Sangakkara managed only 8 centuries but also went past the fifty-run mark 18 times. He also scored his maiden Test triple century in this period.
