The emergence of cricket happened in England-a nation where the game was seen as a quality sport. England are the defending champions in both the World Cups at the moment. They defeated New Zealand in 2019 by the barest of margins, followed by a win over Pakistan in the 2022 T20 WC in Australia. The nation has produced some quality players like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, and Andrew Strauss. England has been one of the best test-playing nations. The nation has set some high standards in the white ball formats as well. The batters, in particular, have been successful in doing so. In this article, we will tell our readers about the top 10 run-getters for England in ODI WCs.
1. Joe Root
Joe Root is one of the finest batters in the world of cricket. The technically strong batter has a dominant batting display of classical run scoring. His consistent performance for the team has always set a benchmark for the other players around the world. The right-handed top-order batter was also a former skipper of his side in the test format. He has led the team in the white-ball formats as well. Root is one of the fab four batters alongside Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Steven Smith. He made his ODI Debut against India in 2013. He has scored 930 runs in the ODI WCs so far.
2. Graham Gooch
The former right-handed batter for England was a batter of the rarest quality. A batsman like no other, Graham Gooch, was born in Essex in 1953. He made his ODI debut against the West Indies in 1976 and established himself in international cricket. The most prolific English batsman, Gooch is the highest scorer in List A and first-class cricket for England. His whopping 67,057 runs throughout his career is a record that seems too good to be broken. The batter was also a handy medium-pacer and scalped more than 200 first-class wickets. He played 4 ODI WCs and scored 897 runs in 21 innings.
3. Ian Bell
One of the most technically strong batters, Ian Bell, was a complete batting masterclass. His front-foot drives and back-foot punches were just too much for the bowlers. The batter would drive the ball with “class” written on it. Bell was born in Warwickshire and made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2004. On challenging English pitches with the ball doing too much, the batter would easily score runs. He made batting look easy. Ian Bell played three ODI WCs from 2007 to 2015 and scored 718 runs.
4. Allan Lamb
Allan Lamb was a former right-handed batter for England. He made his ODI debut against India in 1982. The young Allan Lamb possessed the ability to play fast bowling and made it look so easy. He played three ODI WCs for England from 1983 to 1992 and scored 656 runs.
5. Graeme Hick
Graeme Hick was a former right-handed batter for England. He made his ODI Debut against the West Indies in 1991. He was one of the best run-scorers in domestic English cricket and came into the side as a batter full of potential. While batting mostly at no.3, he scored more than 40,000 runs in domestic cricket. He is also among the only 25 players in history to score 100 first-class centuries. Hick was not quite able to convert his starts into big scores in international cricket. Despite being a prodigy in domestic cricket, his heroics could not be replicated in the internationals. He played three ODI WCs and scored 635 runs.
6. Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow is the English opener in the white ball formats. His batting display is one of the best examples of dominating the bowlers from the word go. His tremendous bat swing, along with his head and eye coordination, has given him an edge as a batter. The batter is also the first-choice opener for England in the ongoing ODI WC in India. Bairstow made his ODI debut against India in 2011. His ability to hit the ball hard with ease is what stands out. Bairstow has made 629 ODI WC runs in two World Cups. He played his first World Cup in 2019 and contributed heavily to the team's success.
7. Alec Stewart
The former wicketkeeper and a right-handed batter for England was born in Surrey in 1963. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 1989 in Delhi. Known to be one of the striking English batters, Stewart looked a different entity when batted in full flow. His on-the-up drives and the ability to pull the ball with power were something not everyone could replicate. He played four ODI WCs from 1992 to 2003 and scored 606 runs for England.
8. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan was a former English skipper who has the record of smashing the most sixes in an ODI innings. He made this milestone against Afghanistan in the 2019 ODI WC at home. He is the only skipper to win an ODI World Cup for England. He made 581 runs for England in ODI WCs.
9. Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen redefined the white-ball cricket. His classy shots all around the ground were indeed a treat to watch. The former right-handed milled-order batter for England was born in South Africa and made his ODI debut for England in 2004 against Zimbabwe. Pietersen was one of the most attacking English batters and did not allow the bowlers to settle. He played two WCs in 2007 and 2011 and scored 575 runs.
10. Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is one of the best wicketkeeper batters for England over the years. His batting skills are versatile which allows him to play in any situation and at any number. The right-handed middle-order batter made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 2012. Buttler has been a revelation in the shortest format of the game. The T20 specialist is the current skipper of the English white-ball teams and he has scored 540 runs for England in the ODI WCs.
