Here are the top 10 batsmen who scored the most Test runs in a calendar year. The list has some exciting players who have made a whole year of Test cricket their own.
No batter yet has ever crossed the mark of 2000 runs in a single year of Test cricket. And the possibility of someone achieving a feat of 2000 Test runs inside a year is less likely as cricketers now have 3 formats to play.
Considering the last decade, Alastair Cook ruled the 2010s by topping the decade chart for Test runs.
Now, let’s look into the list of players with the maximum runs scored in a single calendar year.
Most Test Runs in a Calendar Year
| PLAYER | RUNS | YEAR | MATCHES | INNINGS | AVERAGE | 100s | HIGH SCORE | NOT OUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) | 1788 | 2006 | 11 | 19 | 99.33 | 9 | 202 | 1 |
| Viv Richards (WI) | 1710 | 1976 | 11 | 19 | 90 | 7 | 291 | 0 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 1708 | 2021 | 15 | 29 | 61 | 6 | 228 | 1 |
| Graeme Smith (SA) | 1656 | 2008 | 15 | 25 | 72 | 6 | 232 | 2 |
| Michael Clarke (AUS) | 1595 | 2012 | 11 | 18 | 106.33 | 5 | 329* | 3 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 1562 | 2010 | 14 | 23 | 78.1 | 7 | 214 | 3 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 1556 | 2024 | 17 | 31 | 55.57 | 6 | 262 | 3 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 1544 | 2005 | 15 | 28 | 67.13 | 6 | 207 | 5 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 1503 | 2003 | 11 | 18 | 100.2 | 6 | 257 | 3 |
| Michael Vaughan (ENG) | 1481 | 2002 | 14 | 26 | 61.70 | 6 | 197 | 2 |
Key Stats
Interestingly, Virat Kohli, who has 6 (the most ever) calendar years with 2500+ international runs across formats, didn’t find place either in this list or ODI’s.
The former Australian captain Michael Clarke, who had a wonderful year in 2010, is the only batsman in this list to have a 100+ batting average in his peak year in Test.
2012 was the year Michael Clarke scored the record for the most 200s in a single year.
Graeme Smith’s highest score in 2008 – 232 came against Bangladesh in a world record partnership for the 1st wicket with Neil Mckenzie.
Joe Root, the English record holder for the calendar year run-aggregates in Test cricket, scored 2 double centuries scores along with a 180 this year. He also scored 3 other centuries and 6 fifties in 2021. He missed the second-placed Vivian Richards’ 1976 tally by just 2 runs.
