Top 5 Run Scorers in Asia Cup History

We’re looking at a tournament which has a very rich history. It’s the Asia Cup which has been taking place since back in 1984 when India won the inaugural title, battling it out with only two other nations. Now, it’s grown to be a much bigger and better tournament, with lesser known nations also being a part of the action. (Read all Asia Cup winners)

The frequency of the tournament has changed over the years, sometimes taking place every 4 years and more recently, taking place every 2 years. The format has also changed between ODI and T20 in recent times but those who perform consistently through all these changes are the ones who need to be applauded. Today, we’re going to talk about those most consistent batsmen in the Asia Cup.

Top run scorers in the Asia Cup

We’ve seen many legendary batsmen play in the Asia Cup but only the most consistent over the years have made this list of the top runs scorer in Asia Cup history (updated as of 29th July 2022). Some of the big names to narrowly miss making the top five include Virat Kohli, Arjuna Ranatunga, and Mushfiqur Rahim. From current cricketers, only one batsman features in the list right now. See below:

5) Rohit Sharma

Yes, he may have played the most number of Asia Cup matches than anyone else on this list but the current India white ball captain Rohit Sharma is here with 883 runs in 27 games in this tournament over the years. This includes as many as 7 fifties and one century where he scored 111* against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2018. His batting average of 42.04 is pretty good but it happens to be the lowest among those featured on this list, where he’s expected to climb as he’s the only non-retired cricketer on the list.

4) Shoaib Malik

A legend of Pakistani cricket, Shoaib Malik is yet to officially announce his international retirement, but he usually isn’t being picked in recent white ball squads. In the Asia Cup between 2000-2018, he scored 907 runs in 21 games which includes 4 fifties and 3 centuries, including a best of 143 against India in 2004, which remains one of the highest individual scores in Asia Cup history. He also has the highest batting average from those on this list, going at a spectacular 64.78.

3) Sachin Tendulkar

There’s no need to introduce this man and there are very few white ball cricket batting record lists where he doesn’t feature. Sachin Tendulkar scored 971 runs in 23 games in the Asia Cup between 1990-2012, scoring runs at an average of 51+. His stats in this tournament include two centuries (best of 114 vs Bangladesh in 2012) and as many as 7 fifties too, the latter being second only to Kumar Sangakkara’s record in Asia Cup history.

2) Kumar Sangakkara

As mentioned above, the southpaw has the record for the most number of fifties in the history of the Asia Cup, getting as many as 8 of them between 2004-2014. Kumar Sangakkara has a tally of 1,075 runs in 24 games in this tournament and the wicket-keeper batsman has scored these runs at an average of nearly 49. Apart from this record of fifties, he also has four Asia Cup centuries, a record second only to Sanath Jayasuriya.

1) Sanath Jayasuriya

This left-handed opening batsman was a legend of his time and his clearly reserved his best for the Asia Cup. Not only does Sanath Jayasuriya top this list with 1,220 runs in 25 games, but he’s also got the record for the most centuries in this tournament (6), to go with his 3 fifties. He also holds the record for the most boundaries in the Asia Cup (139), also second only to Shahid Afridi on the sixes count, with 23 sixes. Sanath scored these runs at an average of 53+ and a strike rate of 102+!

The golden opener Sanath Jayasuriya 🥇 smashed a solid 1️⃣3️⃣0️⃣ (134) against India in the 11th match of the Asia Cup 2004, falling short of just 4 runs for a victory 👀#ACC #cricket #cricketlove #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/KtcBUpFDss
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) July 12, 2022