Top 5 run-scorers in international cricket and the distance they covered on the pitch

After the boom of T20 cricket, most batsmen around the world tread the attacking route, especially in white-ball cricket. Being innovative in stroke-making has been the way forward for a number of teams. Hence, flurry of fours and sixes could be seen on the ground and the audiences around the globe thoroughly enjoy it.

But those ambitious shots might backfire on pitches tough to bat on. That’s exactly where rotating strike holds importance. On a green-top or turning-tracks where the ball might not come on to the bat very easily, singles and doubles are the only way out unless there’s a loosener from a bowler.

It also demonstrates how fit a cricketer is. A number of cricketers have had to sweat it out on the cricket pitch and show their stamina to eke out one laurel after the other.

In the article, let’s look at the distance covered on the pitch by some of the greats of cricket –

5. Jacques Kallis- 285.457 kms

Jacques Kallis was one of the fulcrums of the South Africa team across formats. He was fit as a fiddle and fast as a gazelle. He was big in stature, but it didn’t affect his fitness by any means. Having scored over 24,000 runs for the Proteas, the Cape Town-born tormented most oppositions.

Moreover, the veteran managed to show patience in the middle and put a price tag on his wicket. The fact that he scored 14,190 runs through running between, translating to over 55 per cent of his career runs, shows that he put in significant amount of energy.

Not to forget the heavy balls he used to bowl. The now 44-year-old churned out 575 wickets, running in day in and day out with equal intensity. It goes without saying that when he retired, it left a massive void in the Proteas lineup.