The ongoing ICC ODI Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 in Zimbabwe are running in full flow, and we have seen a lot of match-winning performances and a few big upsets too. Yesterday’s match between the Netherlands and West Indies was one for the history books, as we saw many players perform for the Netherlands and take them over the line.
Just like the Netherlands and Zimbabwe have beaten the West Indies in this tournament, the qualifiers give a chance to all the associate nations to get a ticket to the main event and register some upsets there as well.
There have been many batters who have been the hero of the tournament for many years in the World Cup Qualifiers and have a lot of runs to their name. Below is the list of the top 5 highest run-getters in the history of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.
S. No. Player Country Innings Runs
1 Khurram Khan United Arab Emirates 33 1369
2 Maurice Odumbe Kenya 24 1173
3 Steve Tikolo Kenya 32 1048
4 Nolan Clarke Netherlands 18 1040
5 Ed Joyce Ireland 18 916
Khurram Khan (United Arab Emirates)
Khurram Khan, who plays professional cricket for the United Arab Emirates, is the highest run-scorer in the history of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. Khan has scored 1369 runs in just 33 innings and has been a fantastic batter. He was born in Pakistan but went on to play cricket for the UAE from 2001 to 2014. He also holds the record for being the oldest player to score a hundred in ODI cricket.
Maurice Odumbe (Kenya)
The associate member nation of the ICC, Kenya, has played a lot of matches in the World Cup Qualifier tournament and has made some really big upsets in its history. Maurice Odumbe of Kenya is the second-highest run-getter in the qualifiers. He has 1173 runs in 24 innings to his name. Odumbe’s career ended very unfortunately, as he was suspended by the ICC due to a match-fixing scandal.
Steve Tikolo (Kenya)
Another Kenyan batter who is on the list of the highest run-scorers in the history of World Cup qualifiers is Steve Tikolo. Tikolo has scored 1048 runs in 32 innings in this tournament. He is known as Kenya’s greatest player ever and has also scored the most runs in ODI matches for Kenya. Tikolo played for a long period of 20 years for his nation.
Nolan Clarke (Netherlands)
The next batter on this legendary list is Nolan Clarke from the Netherlands. The Dutch batter has been a fantastic player in the qualifiers and has scored 1040 runs in just 18 innings. His cricketing career did not last long, but he performed well in almost every match that he played. He holds the record for being the oldest player to play in an ODI match.
Ed Joyce (Ireland)
Joyce is one of those players who has played for two nations, as he has played international cricket for both the England and Ireland teams. Joyce has scored 916 runs in the World Cup Qualifiers and has been a top batter. He has been a former coach for the Irish cricket team as well.
