The cricket frenzy fans all around the world will be in for some good entertainment when the top eight nations of the game fight for the ICC Champions Trophy in just about a week’s time. The iconic tournament is all set to kick start on 1st June with the hosts, England taking on Bangladesh in the inaugural match of the eighth edition at The Oval in London.
The tournament has been dominated by some of the great players in the modern era, ever since it’s inception in the year 1998. The shorter format of the game has helped the art of batting evolve over the years with plenty of innovations and new techniques that enable free flowing stroke play.
Talking about runs in the shorter format of the game, take a look at the five leading run-scorers in Champions Trophy:
#5 Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis is regarded as one the best players produced in the history of South African Cricket. The 41-year-old was a prolific performer for the Proteas throughout his career and at times, single-handedly carried the burden of his nation.
Even in his twilight years in the team, he was outstanding with the bat for South Africa. he amassed 653 runs in 17 matches at an average close to 47. Kallis smashed an unbeaten hundred against the mighty Lankan bowling unit in the inaugural edition of the tournament at Dhaka.
The experienced right-handed batsman last played this prestigious tournament in the year 2009 and since then, the Proteas have sorely missed his services.
#4 Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly was one of the most fiercely competitive players in the modern era. The southpaw was known to wear his heart on his sleeve and lead from the front throughout his tenure as the captain of the Indian Team.
He’ll have some fond memories of the Champions Trophy as he was a consistent performer with the bat, scoring 665 runs at an average of 73 in the 13 matches.
Ganguly recorded his highest score of the tournament with a well compiled 141 runs against South Africa at Nairobi in 2000. The left-hander crafted his way to three half-centuries and three magnificent hundreds through the course of the tournament.
#3 Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara was one of the mainstays in the batting unit of the Sri Lankan outfit in the last edition of the tournament.
In the 22 matches Sangakkara played, he scored 683 runs at an average of 38 and a strike rate close to 72. He mustered four half-centuries in the games as well. The southpaw was severe on the England bowling unit in the last edition of the competition as he smashed an unbeaten 134 at Kennington Oval in London.
Sangakkara will be seen donning a different mantle in the 2017 edition of the Champions Trophy as he is all set to make his commentary debut in the showpiece tournament.
#2 Mahela Jayawardene
The flamboyant right-handed batsman has been one of the most prolific run-scorers for Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy with 742 runs in the 22 matches at an average of 41. The former Sri Lanka skipper has five half-centuries to his name with his highest score being an unbeaten 84.
A vital cog in the batting unit of Sri Lanka, Jayawardene time and again bailed his side out of trouble with some gutsy knocks in the middle order. The 39-year-old is the most capped One Day International player in the history of Sri Lankan cricket after he surpassed Sanath Jayasuriya's 445 matches during a league match in the ICC World Cup 2015 against Australia.
The retirement of the experienced duo, Sangakkara and Jayawardene, left a huge void in the middle order for Sri Lankan cricket. The Champions Trophy will be the first real test for the young outfit to showcase their talent on the world stage.
#1 Chris Gayle
The 37-year old is regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen in the shorter format of the game. A nightmare for any bowling unit, it comes as no surprise that Chris Gayle is the leading run scorer in the history of the Champions Trophy.
Gayle has been part of the West Indian outfit for 17 matches in the tournament and has amassed 791 runs with an average of 53. The big-hitting opening batsman has the ability to take the game away from the opposition with his sheer power which makes him the most feared batsman in the modern era.
The eighth edition of the tournament will miss the Caribbean flavour as the Windies failed to break into the top eight of the world and hence will not be competing in the tournament.
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