South Africa, a top cricket team, was banned from 1970 to 1991 due to apartheid, limiting legends like Pollock and Richards. Since their return in the early 1990s, they’ve been strong contenders, winning the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy and reaching multiple World Cup semifinals, including a 2024 T20 World Cup final loss.
Let’s explore five South African batsmen who have amassed the most runs in international cricket.
5. Herschelle Gibbs
Former opener Herschelle Gibbs ranks fifth among South African batters for the most runs in international cricket. Over his career, he participated in 361 matches (417 innings) and accumulated 14,661 runs with an average of 37.30. His record includes 35 centuries and 66 half-centuries.
In Test cricket, Gibbs played 90 matches, amassing 6,167 runs at an average of 41.95, including 14 centuries and 26 half-centuries. In ODIs, he competed in 248 games, scoring 8,094 runs at an average of 36.13, with 21 centuries and 37 half-centuries. Additionally, Gibbs played 23 T20Is, where he scored 400 runs at a strike rate of 125.78, with three half-centuries.
4. Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith, a former captain, ranks fourth among South African batsmen for the most runs in international cricket. Over 347 matches (432 innings), he accumulated 17,236 runs with an average of 42.34. His record includes 37 centuries and 90 half-centuries.
Smith played in 117 Test matches, where he scored 9,265 runs at an average of 48.25. His Test career features 27 centuries and 38 half-centuries.
In One Day Internationals (ODIs), Smith appeared in 197 games, amassing 6,989 runs at an average of 37.98. He achieved 10 centuries and 47 half-centuries in this format.
For Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), Smith played 33 matches, accumulating 982 runs at a strike rate of 127.53, including five half-centuries.
3. Hashim Amla
He is a cricketing legend, ranks third among South African batsmen for the most runs in international cricket. Over his career, he played 349 matches (437 innings) and scored 18,672 runs at an average of 46.56, including 55 centuries and 88 half-centuries.
Amla appeared in 124 matches, accumulating 9,282 runs at an average of 46.64, with 28 centuries and 41 half-centuries in Test cricket. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he played 181 games, amassing 8,113 runs at an average of 49.46, with 27 centuries and 39 half-centuries. In Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), Amla participated in 44 matches, scoring 1,277 runs at a strike rate of 132.05, including eight half-centuries and a highest score of 97 not out.
2. AB de Villiers
Former captain and batting great AB de Villiers is the second-highest run-scorer among South African cricketers in international cricket. Over his career, he appeared in 420 matches (484 innings), accumulating 20,014 runs with an average of 48.11. His tally includes 47 centuries and 109 half-centuries.
In Test cricket, de Villiers participated in 114 matches, amassing 8,765 runs at an impressive average of 50.66, with 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries.
In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he played 228 games and scored 9,577 runs at an average of 53.50, including 25 centuries and 53 fifties. He also holds the record for the fastest ODI hundred, achieved in just 31 balls.
1. Jacques Kallis
In Test cricket, Kallis appeared in 166 matches, amassing 13,289 runs at an impressive average of 55.37. He scored 45 centuries and 58 half-centuries during this period. In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he participated in 328 matches, where he accumulated 11,579 runs at an average of 44.36, including 17 centuries and 86 fifties.
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