Scoring a century is a great achievement for any batsman. It gives a sense of accomplishment while playing. However, sometimes players fall short of reaching the three-figure mark by a small margin. These dismissals are more heartbreaking as they come very close to a great achievement. Over the years, cricket has seen some phenomenal batsmen, and many of them have been dismissed in their 90s. Today we will take a look at 5 players who scored the most 90s in international cricket.
#1. Sachin Tendulkar- 28 times
Sachin Tendulkar is arguably the greatest batsman of all time. The ‘Master Blaster’ is the first batsman to score a double hundred in ODIs, and scored a century of centuries in his career. But the journey to the hundred 100s wasn’t an easy one. Sachin scored the most 90s – a baffling 28 times, in his international career without scoring a century.
He tops this list, and this tally is the exact double of our next entry. Sachin was a pillar of the Indian batting order, and so is a major icon in the sport. He averaged a brilliant 48.52 in his career across all formats of the game.
#2. AB de Villiers- 14 times
AB de Villiers is one of the best cricketers South Africa has ever produced. The former Proteas skipper scored a combined 20,014 runs in his international career. He is also the batsman to feature in the list of cricketers to score the most 90s.
In his career, de Villiers hit 47 centuries across all formats but failed to do so 14 times after going past 90. He retired from international cricket, and now thus plays for T20 leagues all over the world.
#3. Rahul Dravid- 14 times
Rahul Dravid is a former Indian captain and is one of the biggest icons in cricket. Nicknamed as ‘The Wall’, Dravid became known all over the world as a thorough gentleman and a phenomenal batsman. He is now busing shaping up the future of Indian cricket as the coach of the U-19 Indian team.
Dravid has scored the 90s 14 times without reaching the three-figure mark. His tally of 48 centuries in his international career speaks volumes about the quality of his batting.
#4. Jacques Kallis- 13 times
Jacques Kallis is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time. The former South African cricketer is surely in the conversation of the all-time greats. Not only was he a phenomenal batsman, but Kallis also formed a huge part of the South African bowling attack. He scored 25,534 runs in his career. Across all the formats, Kallis also hit a mind-blowing total of 62 centuries.
However, Kallis also scored a lot of 90s in his career. He hit thirteen 90s, and the tally is the fourth most in this list. Kallis averaged 49.10 in his international career.
#5. Ricky Ponting- 13 times
Ricky Ponting is a former Australian captain and batsman. He is one of the greatest captains of all time and is also a batting icon in the sport. Ponting hit 71 centuries in his career and scored 27,483 runs at an average of 45.95. Ponting is looked at as the gold standard of batting and captaincy in Australia.
He hit the 90s thirteen times in his international career. Ponting had a reputation of being extremely passionate about the game, and it showed when he batted. Ponting was a specialist batsman, and also an excellent slip fielder. The Australian legend now works as a coach and commentator.
