World Cup History: 5 Batsmen with most runs in a World Cup

#2 Matthew Hayden (659 runs) - 2007 World Cup

Matthew Hayden and Australia dominated the tournament in the Carribean

No other team in the history of cricket has dominated the sport as Australia did in the late 90s and the early 2000s. They were the team to beat in every world tournament.

After winning two consecutive World Cups, the Kangaroos entered the 2007 edition as the hot favourites. Matthew Hayden, whose position was uncertain in the run-up to the tournament was selected due to his recent success against the Kiwis. He started his campaign with a half-century against Scotland.

What followed after that left the cricketing fraternity in awe. He scored back to back centuries against the Windies and South Africa. The ton against South Africa was an answer to his critics as he broke down their bowling attack by scoring a century in just 66 balls.

He was on the top of his game and finished with 659 runs at an average of 73.22. He was the ‘Man of the Tournament’ and the ‘ODI Player of the year’ as he led his team to a third consecutive World Cup victory.