The phrase “non-opener” typically refers to any player who bats in the middle or lower-middle order. Non-openers don’t necessarily occupy the opening slots. They come to bat later in the innings after the opening pair goes through the toughest challenges of facing a new ball and setting up a foundation for the team’s total.
However, it is important to note that specific cricketers’ roles in the batting order may vary depending on the team’s strategy, the match situation and the format as well. In this listicle, let’s go through the names of four players with the most runs as non-openers in international cricket.
1. Ricky Ponting
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting comes first on the list as he mustered the most runs as a non-opener in the history of international cricket. Australia’s batting great scored 27,211 runs as a non-opener for the national cricket team in the international set-up. Overall, Ponting scored 27,483 runs in international cricket.
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2. Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batters of all time. Sri Lanka’s batting great is the second-leading run-getter in the history of international cricket with 28,016 runs. The former Sri Lankan skipper comes second on the list as he aggregated 26,948 runs as a non-opener in international cricket.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is widely regarded as the best all-format batsman in the current era. His consistency and adaptability in all formats set him apart from most other batters of this era. Virat Kohli comes third on the list as he went past 25,000 runs as a non-opener. There were a few games where he even opened the innings for India. Overall, he scored 25,582 for India in international cricket.
4. Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis is widely acknowledged as the best complete cricketer of all time. He thrived as a batsman and bowler in international cricket. He scored 24,903 runs as a non-opener for South Africa. Overall, Proteas’ greatest-ever cricketer scored 25,534 runs in international cricket.
Most runs as Non-Opener
27211 – Ricky Ponting
26948 – K Sangakkara
25000 – Virat Kohli*
24903 – Jacques Kallis#ViratKohli | #WIvIND— Cricbaba (@thecricbaba) July 21, 2023
Updated as of July 25, 2023*
