Most Fours in Cricket World Cup History
Fours have always been central to batting in the Men's ODI Cricket World Cup. Long before six-hitting became a major part of modern limited-overs cricket, the tournament's best batters built big scores by finding gaps, driving through the covers and punishing loose deliveries along the ground.
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most fours in Men's ODI World Cup history with 241 boundaries in 45 matches. His lead remains substantial despite the rise of modern attacking batters. Rohit Sharma is second with 166 fours, followed by Virat Kohli with 159, David Warner with 154 and Kumar Sangakkara with 147.
The latest completed Men's ODI World Cup was the 2023 tournament in India. All career statistics in this article therefore include every edition through that competition.
Most Fours in Cricket World Cup History
| Rank | Batsman | Team | Matches | Fours | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 45 | 241 | 2,278 |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | India | 28 | 166 | 1,575 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | India | 37 | 159 | 1,795 |
| 4 | David Warner | Australia | 29 | 154 | 1,527 |
| 5 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 37 | 147 | 1,532 |
| 6 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 46 | 145 | 1,743 |
| 7 | Adam Gilchrist | Australia | 31 | 141 | 1,085 |
| 8 | Stephen Fleming | New Zealand | 33 | 134 | 1,075 |
| 9 | Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 36 | 128 | 1,332 |
| 10 | Brian Lara | West Indies | 34 | 124 | 1,225 |
| 11 | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | 27 | 122 | 1,112 |
| 12 | AB de Villiers | South Africa | 23 | 121 | 1,207 |
| 13 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 38 | 120 | 1,165 |
| 14 | Chris Gayle | West Indies | 35 | 116 | 1,186 |
| 15 | Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 27 | 112 | 1,044 |
| 16 | Virender Sehwag | India | 22 | 108 | 843 |
| 17 | Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 27 | 108 | 995 |
| 18 | Aravinda de Silva | Sri Lanka | 35 | 107 | 1,064 |
| 19 | Herschelle Gibbs | South Africa | 25 | 106 | 1,067 |
| 20 | Matthew Hayden | Australia | 22 | 106 | 987 |
Tendulkar's 241 fours are comfortably clear of Rohit's 166. The record reflects both his longevity — six World Cup appearances — and his position as the tournament's all-time leading run-scorer with 2,278 runs.
Top 5 Players With Most World Cup Fours
1. Sachin Tendulkar – 241 Fours
Sachin Tendulkar hit 241 fours in 45 World Cup matches, the highest total by any batter in the competition's history. He played in six editions from 1992 through 2011 and accumulated a record 2,278 runs.
His most productive boundary-hitting campaign came in 2003, when he struck 75 fours while scoring 673 runs. That remains the record for the most fours in a single World Cup edition.
2. Rohit Sharma – 166 Fours
Rohit Sharma is second with 166 fours from 28 World Cup matches. He represented India in the 2015, 2019 and 2023 tournaments and scored 1,575 runs.
Rohit hit 67 fours during the 2019 tournament and another 66 in 2023, making those two editions responsible for the majority of his career World Cup boundaries.
3. Virat Kohli – 159 Fours
Virat Kohli has struck 159 fours in 37 World Cup matches across four editions.
His biggest single-tournament contribution came in 2023, when he led all batters with 68 fours while scoring a record 765 runs.
4. David Warner – 154 Fours
David Warner finished his World Cup career with 154 fours in 29 matches for Australia.
The aggressive opener was particularly productive in the 2019 and 2023 tournaments. He hit 66 fours in 2019 and another 50 in 2023.
5. Kumar Sangakkara – 147 Fours
Kumar Sangakkara struck 147 fours in 37 World Cup matches for Sri Lanka.
He scored 1,532 runs across four editions and finished his career with five World Cup centuries, including four consecutive hundreds during the 2015 tournament.
Most Fours in a Single World Cup Edition
Sachin Tendulkar holds the single-edition record with 75 fours in the 2003 World Cup. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have come closest in the modern era.
| Rank | Fours | Batsman | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | Sachin Tendulkar | 2003 |
| 2 | 68 | Virat Kohli | 2023 |
| 3 | 67 | Rohit Sharma | 2019 |
| 4 | 67 | Jonny Bairstow | 2019 |
| 5 | 66 | David Warner | 2019 |
Tendulkar's 75 fours came during his record-setting 673-run campaign in 2003. At the time, those 673 runs were also the most by a batter in a single World Cup.
The 2019 tournament produced three of the five highest single-edition totals. Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow both hit 67 fours, while Warner struck 66.
Kohli came closest to Tendulkar's boundary record in 2023, hitting 68 fours in 11 matches. Rohit followed with 66 in the same tournament.
Most Fours in a Single World Cup Innings
Martin Guptill owns the record for the most fours in one Men's ODI World Cup innings. His unbeaten 237 against West Indies contained 24 fours.
| Rank | Fours | Batsman | Team | Opponent | Score | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Martin Guptill | New Zealand | West Indies | 237* | 2015 |
| 2 | 22 | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh | 161* | 2015 |
| 3 | 21 | Glenn Maxwell | Australia | Afghanistan | 201* | 2023 |
| 4 | 19 | David Warner | Australia | Afghanistan | 178 | 2015 |
| 5 | 17 | AB de Villiers | South Africa | West Indies | 162* | 2015 |
Martin Guptill – 24 Fours
Guptill struck 24 fours and 11 sixes during his unbeaten 237 against West Indies in the 2015 quarter-final in Wellington.
The 24 fours set a World Cup innings record, surpassing Dilshan's 22 from earlier in the same tournament. Guptill's 237* also remains the highest individual score in Men's ODI World Cup history.
Tillakaratne Dilshan – 22 Fours
Dilshan scored an unbeaten 161 against Bangladesh in Melbourne, hitting 22 fours.
His record lasted only a few weeks before Guptill passed it during the quarter-final against West Indies.
Glenn Maxwell – 21 Fours
Maxwell struck 21 fours and 10 sixes during his unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium in 2023.
Australia had collapsed to 91/7 while chasing 292 before Maxwell produced an extraordinary recovery and completed the chase.
David Warner – 19 Fours
Warner's 178 against Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup featured 19 fours as Australia piled up a huge total.
The innings was one of Warner's earliest major World Cup performances and helped establish him as one of Australia's leading tournament openers.
AB de Villiers – 17 Fours
AB de Villiers smashed an unbeaten 162 against West Indies during the 2015 tournament.
His innings included 17 fours as well as eight sixes, making it one of the most destructive World Cup knocks of the modern era.
Records and Highlights
Sachin Tendulkar Holds the Career Record
Tendulkar's 241 World Cup fours remain comfortably ahead of every other batter.
He also holds the overall World Cup run record with 2,278 runs, underlining how much of his scoring came through conventional boundary-hitting.
Tendulkar Also Holds the Single-Edition Record
Tendulkar hit 75 fours during the 2003 World Cup, the most by a batter in one edition.
His tournament included 673 runs, one century and six half-centuries.
Guptill Holds the Single-Innings Record
Martin Guptill's 24 fours against West Indies in 2015 are the most in a single World Cup innings.
His 237* contained 35 boundaries in total when his 11 sixes are included.
Virat Kohli Led the 2023 Tournament
Kohli hit 68 fours in the 2023 World Cup, more than any other batter.
Rohit Sharma was second with 66, followed by Quinton de Kock with 57, Rachin Ravindra with 55 and Devon Conway with 54.
Three Indians Occupy the Career Top Three
India have the first three positions on the all-time World Cup fours list:
| Batsman | Fours |
|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 241 |
| Rohit Sharma | 166 |
| Virat Kohli | 159 |
Together, the trio have hit 566 World Cup fours.
Warner Is Australia's Leading Four-Hitter
David Warner's 154 fours are the most by an Australian batter in World Cup history.
He sits ahead of Ricky Ponting, who hit 145 fours across a record 46 World Cup appearances.
Maxwell Produced a Unique Boundary Assault
Maxwell's unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan contained 21 fours and 10 sixes, meaning 144 of his 201 runs came in boundaries.
It was one of the highest proportions of boundary runs in a major World Cup innings and helped Australia recover from a near-certain defeat.
The 2019 World Cup Produced Three Historic Four-Hitting Campaigns
Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow each struck 67 fours, while Warner hit 66.
Rohit also finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 648 runs and a record five centuries.
FAQs
Who has hit the most fours in Cricket World Cup history?
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record with 241 fours in 45 Men's ODI World Cup matches.
Who has hit the most fours in a single World Cup?
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record with 75 fours in the 2003 World Cup.
Who has hit the most fours in one World Cup innings?
Martin Guptill holds the record with 24 fours during his unbeaten 237 against West Indies in the 2015 quarter-final.
How many fours did Virat Kohli hit in World Cups?
Virat Kohli hit 159 fours in 37 World Cup matches. He struck 68 of them during the 2023 tournament, the most by any batter in that edition.
Rivcky John
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