Often hailed as the pinnacle of the test cricket format, the ICC World Test Championship is followed by millions of cricket aficionados from all over the world. The current champions of the championship, South Africa, defeated Australia in the 2025 final at Lord’s. The glorious history of the ICC World Test Championship has witnessed numerous legendary international cricketers who have created a long-lasting impact on the championship and have displayed their unbeaten wrath on the field and led their respective teams to a phenomenal streak of victories.
Have you ever wondered about the top four batsmen who have managed to smash the highest number of runs in the ICC World Test Championship and etched their name in the glorious history of the tournament? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four batsmen with the highest number of runs in the ICC World Test Championship.
ICC World Test Championship: Top 4 Batsmen With Most Runs
-
Joe Root, England – 6,080 Runs
The legendary English international cricketer Joe Root, who captained the Test side from 2017 to 2022, is at the first spot in our list of the top four batsmen with the most runs in the ICC World Test Championship. Often hailed as one of the most dominant batsmen of his era, Joe Root has played a total of 69 ICC World Test Championships and has scored a phenomenal total of 6,080 runs, which continues to be the highest aggregate as of September 2025.
Read More
Additionally, as of September 2025, Joe Root has also topped the ICC rankings for Test batsmen on nine occasions, speaking volumes about his unmatched legacy in the format. Moreover, in July 2025, the legendary English cricketer Joe Root surpassed the glorious records of Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest scorer in the history of test cricket format with a spine-chilling total of 13,543 runs.
-
Steve Smith, Australia – 4,278 Runs
At the second spot in our list of the top four batsmen with the highest number of runs in the ICC World Test Championship, we have the trailblazing Australian international cricketer Steve Smith, who is a former captain of the Australian national team in all three formats of the game.
As of September 2025, Steve Smith has played a total of 55 matches in the ICC World Test Championship and has scored a phenomenal total of 4,278 runs, which continues to be the second-highest aggregate as of September 2025. Steve Smith smashed a memorable innings of 211 runs against England during the 2019 Ashes series — which was part of the inaugural WTC cycle (2019–2021) and continues to be his highest score in the ICC World Test Championship.
-
Marnus Labuschagne, Australia – 4225 Runs
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four batsmen with the most runs in the ICC World Test Championship, we have the iconic Australian international cricketer, Marnus Lasbuschagne, who currently captains Queensland and plays for Glamorgan in county cricket and for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.
As of September 2025, Marnus Lasbuschagne has played a total of 53 matches of the ICC World Test Championship and has scored a spine-chilling total of 4,225 runs at an average of 48.01 which includes 11 centuries and 22 half-tons, establishing himself as one of the most dominant batsmen of the format. Marnus Lasbuschagne scored his highest ICC World Test Championship score of 215 runs against New Zealand during the 2019–2021 WTC cycle.
-
Ben Stokes, England – 3,616 Runs
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four batsmen with the highest number of runs in the ICC World Test Championship we have the trailblazing English international cricketer Ben Stokes who is currently serving as skipper of the England test team.
Often hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of international cricket, Ben Stokes garnered immense fame and recognition from the cricket aficionados from all over the world for scoring a record total of 1,334 runs in seventeen matched during the 2019-21 WTC cycle and a phenomenal total of 971 runs in eighteen matches during the 2021-23 WTC cycle.
