Most Runs in ICC World Test Championship Final
The ICC World Test Championship Final has produced three different champions across its first three editions. New Zealand defeated India at Southampton in 2021, Australia beat India at The Oval in 2023, and South Africa defeated Australia at Lord's in 2025. Across those three finals, difficult batting conditions and high-quality bowling have made substantial run-scoring particularly valuable.
Steve Smith is the leading run-scorer in WTC final history with 234 runs from four innings. His total combines 155 runs against India in the 2023 final and 79 against South Africa in 2025. Travis Head is second with 201 runs, while Ajinkya Rahane is close behind with 199.
Alex Carey is fourth with 180 runs, while Aiden Markram's match-winning 136 in the 2025 final puts him fifth despite playing only one WTC final. The combined numbers below include every batter who batted in the 2021, 2023 or 2025 finals.
Most Runs in ICC World Test Championship Final
The following leaderboard combines the completed scorecards and batting records from all three WTC finals.
| Rank | Batsman | Team | Finals | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Smith | Australia | 2 | 4 | 234 | 58.50 | 1 | 1 | 121 |
| 2 | Travis Head | Australia | 2 | 4 | 201 | 50.25 | 1 | 0 | 163 |
| 3 | Ajinkya Rahane | India | 2 | 4 | 199 | 49.75 | 0 | 1 | 89 |
| 4 | Alex Carey | Australia | 2 | 4 | 180 | 60.00 | 0 | 1 | 66* |
| 5 | Aiden Markram | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 136 | 68.00 | 1 | 0 | 136 |
| 6 | Rohit Sharma | India | 2 | 4 | 122 | 30.50 | 0 | 0 | 43 |
| 7 | Virat Kohli | India | 2 | 4 | 120 | 30.00 | 0 | 0 | 49 |
| 8 | Marnus Labuschagne | Australia | 2 | 4 | 106 | 26.50 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| 9 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | 2 | 4 | 105 | 35.00 | 0 | 1 | 58* |
| 10 | Temba Bavuma | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 102 | 51.00 | 0 | 1 | 66 |
| 11 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 1 | 2 | 101 | 101.00 | 0 | 1 | 52* |
| 12 | Beau Webster | Australia | 1 | 2 | 81 | 40.50 | 0 | 1 | 72 |
| 13 | Ravindra Jadeja | India | 2 | 4 | 79 | 19.75 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| 14 | Devon Conway | New Zealand | 1 | 2 | 73 | 36.50 | 0 | 1 | 54 |
| 15 | Shubman Gill | India | 2 | 4 | 67 | 16.75 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 16 | David Bedingham | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 66 | 66.00 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| 17 | Cheteshwar Pujara | India | 2 | 4 | 64 | 16.00 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| 18 | Ross Taylor | New Zealand | 1 | 2 | 58 | 58.00 | 0 | 0 | 47* |
| 19 | Shardul Thakur | India | 1 | 2 | 51 | 25.50 | 0 | 1 | 51 |
| 20 | Rishabh Pant | India | 1 | 2 | 45 | 22.50 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| 21 | David Warner | Australia | 1 | 2 | 44 | 22.00 | 0 | 0 | 43 |
| 22 | Mohammed Shami | India | 2 | 4 | 43 | 21.50 | 0 | 0 | 13* |
| 23 | Tom Latham | New Zealand | 1 | 2 | 39 | 19.50 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 24 | Cameron Green | Australia | 2 | 4 | 35 | 8.75 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| 25 | Wiaan Mulder | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 33 | 16.50 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| 26 | Tim Southee | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 30 | 30.00 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 27 | Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 1 | 2 | 29 | 14.50 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| 28 | KS Bharat | India | 1 | 2 | 28 | 14.00 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| 29 | Ryan Rickelton | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 22 | 11.00 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 30 | Kyle Jamieson | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 21 | 21.00 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 31 | Pat Cummins | Australia | 2 | 4 | 21 | 5.25 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 32 | Usman Khawaja | Australia | 2 | 4 | 19 | 4.75 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 33 | Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 1 | 2 | 17 | 17.00 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| 34 | Kyle Verreynne | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 17 | 17.00 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 35 | Colin de Grandhomme | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 13 | 13.00 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 36 | Nathan Lyon | Australia | 2 | 3 | 11 | 3.67 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 37 | Tristan Stubbs | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 10 | 5.00 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 38 | Henry Nicholls | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7.00 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 39 | Keshav Maharaj | South Africa | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7.00 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 40 | Trent Boult | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 7 | — | 0 | 0 | 7* |
| 41 | Umesh Yadav | India | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.00 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 42 | Ishant Sharma | India | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2.50 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 43 | BJ Watling | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 44 | Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 45 | Mohammed Siraj | India | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.00 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 46 | Scott Boland | Australia | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 1* |
| 47 | Jasprit Bumrah | India | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | Lungi Ngidi | South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0* |
| 49 | Marco Jansen | South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | Neil Wagner | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
An average is shown as — where a player was never dismissed in a WTC final innings.
Top 5 Run-Scorers in WTC Final History
1. Steve Smith – 234 Runs
Steve Smith leads the all-time WTC final run-scoring list with 234 runs from four innings at an average of 58.50. His biggest contribution was 121 against India at The Oval in 2023, when his partnership with Travis Head put Australia firmly in control.
Smith returned for his second final at Lord's in 2025 and made 66 in Australia's first innings and 13 in the second, adding another 79 runs to his career WTC final tally.
2. Travis Head – 201 Runs
Travis Head has scored 201 runs in four innings, with most of that total coming from his Player-of-the-Match performance in the 2023 final. His 163 from 174 balls helped Australia recover from 76/3 and build a first-innings total of 469.
Head added 20 runs across his two innings against South Africa in 2025, taking his combined WTC final total past the 200-run mark.
3. Ajinkya Rahane – 199 Runs
Ajinkya Rahane is India's leading run-scorer in WTC final history with 199 runs from four innings. He scored 49 and 15 against New Zealand in 2021 before producing 89 and 46 against Australia in 2023.
His 89 at The Oval remains the highest individual score by an Indian batter in a WTC final.
4. Alex Carey – 180 Runs
Alex Carey has accumulated 180 runs from four WTC final innings at an average of 60.00. In 2023, he made 48 in Australia's first innings and an unbeaten 66 in the second, finishing with 114 runs for the match.
He added 23 and 43 against South Africa in 2025 to remain among the most productive batters in the competition's final history.
5. Aiden Markram – 136 Runs
Aiden Markram entered the all-time top five through one extraordinary innings. After being dismissed for a duck in South Africa's first innings at Lord's in 2025, he scored 136 in the fourth-innings chase of 282.
His century drove South Africa toward a five-wicket win over Australia and their first World Test Championship title.
Highest Individual Scores in WTC Finals
Only three centuries have been scored across the first three WTC finals. Travis Head owns the highest individual score with 163 against India in 2023.
| Rank | Score | Batsman | Final/Year | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 163 | Travis Head | Australia vs India, 2023 | The Oval, London |
| 2 | 136 | Aiden Markram | South Africa vs Australia, 2025 | Lord's, London |
| 3 | 121 | Steve Smith | Australia vs India, 2023 | The Oval, London |
| 4 | 89 | Ajinkya Rahane | Australia vs India, 2023 | The Oval, London |
| 5 | 72 | Beau Webster | South Africa vs Australia, 2025 | Lord's, London |
Travis Head's 163
Head's 163 is the highest score in a WTC final. Coming in with Australia at 76/3, he attacked India's bowlers and shared a 285-run fourth-wicket partnership with Steve Smith.
Aiden Markram's 136
Markram's 136 at Lord's is the highest fourth-innings score in a WTC final. It came while chasing 282 and formed the foundation of South Africa's title-winning victory.
Steve Smith's 121
Smith scored 121 from 268 balls in Australia's first innings of the 2023 final. Together with Head, he transformed Australia's position after India's bowlers had made three early breakthroughs.
Ajinkya Rahane's 89
Rahane's 89 was India's highest score in the 2023 final. His partnership with Shardul Thakur helped India recover from 152/6 and reach 296 in their first innings.
Beau Webster's 72
Beau Webster made 72 in Australia's first innings against South Africa at Lord's in 2025. It was his first WTC final and his highest score of the match.
Final-Wise Leading Run-Scorers
Each WTC final has had a different leading run-scorer. Williamson topped the inaugural final, Head dominated in 2023, and Markram led the 2025 batting charts.
| Final | Best Batsman | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 – India vs New Zealand | Kane Williamson | 101 |
| 2023 – Australia vs India | Travis Head | 181 |
| 2025 – South Africa vs Australia | Aiden Markram | 136 |
Kane Williamson – 101 Runs in 2021
Williamson made 49 in New Zealand's first innings and an unbeaten 52 in the chase, finishing as the highest run-scorer of the inaugural WTC final. New Zealand won by eight wickets.
Travis Head – 181 Runs in 2023
Head followed his first-innings 163 with 18 in Australia's second innings, giving him 181 runs in the match. Australia eventually won by 209 runs, and Head was named Player of the Match.
Aiden Markram – 136 Runs in 2025
Markram scored all 136 of his runs in South Africa's second innings after making zero in the first. That was still enough to make him the final's highest run-scorer, ahead of Temba Bavuma's 102.
Records and Highlights
Steve Smith Has the Most WTC Final Runs
Smith's 234 runs are the most by any batter across the first three WTC finals. He is also one of a small group to have appeared in two separate finals.
His 121 in 2023 and 66 in 2025 mean he has registered both a century and a fifty in WTC finals.
Australia Occupy Three of the Top Four Places
The combined leaderboard is heavily influenced by Australia's appearances in both the 2023 and 2025 finals.
Three Australians sit inside the top four:
| Batsman | Runs |
|---|---|
| Steve Smith | 234 |
| Travis Head | 201 |
| Alex Carey | 180 |
Ajinkya Rahane, with 199 runs, is the only non-Australian among the first four.
Ajinkya Rahane Leads India
Rahane's 199 runs make him India's highest run-scorer in WTC finals. Rohit Sharma follows with 122, while Virat Kohli has 120.
Rahane also owns India's highest individual WTC final score with 89 against Australia at The Oval.
Three Centuries Have Been Scored
The first three WTC finals produced only three centuries:
- Travis Head – 163 vs India
- Aiden Markram – 136 vs Australia
- Steve Smith – 121 vs India
No century was scored in the inaugural 2021 final.
Head Holds the Highest Individual Score
Head's 163 against India remains the highest individual score in WTC final history. His attacking innings contained 25 fours and one six and came from 174 deliveries.
Williamson Has the Highest Average Among Established Scorers
Kane Williamson scored 101 runs while being dismissed only once, giving him an average of 101.00. His unbeaten 52 guided New Zealand home in the 2021 final.
Markram Produced the Highest Fourth-Innings Score
Markram's 136 against Australia is both a WTC final century and the highest score made in the fourth innings of a final.
South Africa successfully chased 282, with Markram and Bavuma putting together the decisive partnership.
Three Different Teams Have Won the First Three Finals
New Zealand won the inaugural final in 2021, Australia became champions in 2023, and South Africa claimed the title in 2025.
That means no team had successfully defended the World Test Championship title through the completion of the 2025 final.
FAQs
Who has scored the most runs in WTC final history?
Steve Smith has scored the most runs in WTC finals, with 234 runs from four innings across the 2023 and 2025 finals.
Who has the highest score in a WTC final?
Travis Head holds the record with 163 against India in the 2023 final at The Oval.
Who has scored the most runs for India in WTC finals?
Ajinkya Rahane leads India with 199 runs from four innings across the 2021 and 2023 finals.
How many centuries have been scored in WTC finals?
There have been three centuries across the 2021, 2023 and 2025 finals: Travis Head's 163, Aiden Markram's 136 and Steve Smith's 121.
Rivcky John
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