South Africa was only the third team to be introduced in the game of cricket. They played their first-ever test way back in March 1889 against England. The ICC granted them “Test Status” after a gap of 20 years in 1909. Since then, this team became a strong side in this game and is still among the toughest opponents to beat.
South Africa has given us a number of players who have made a name for themselves in this game, especially in the longest format. We are also discussing some batting icons from this country and the scripted history of South Africa. In this article, we will cover the list of batters with the most test runs in a calendar year for South Africa.
Most Runs in Test Cricket in a Calendar Year for SA
| Batter | Year | Mts | Runs | HS | Avg | 100s | 50s |
| Graeme Smith | 2008 | 15 | 1656 | 232 | 72.00 | 6 | 6 |
| Jacques Kallis | 2004 | 11 | 1288 | 162 | 80.50 | 5 | 7 |
| Hashim Amla | 2010 | 11 | 1249 | 253* | 78.06 | 5 | 4 |
| Jacques Kallis | 2007 | 9 | 1210 | 186 | 86.43 | 5 | 6 |
| Jacques Kallis | 2010 | 11 | 1198 | 201* | 79.87 | 6 | 2 |
| Graeme Smith | 2003 | 12 | 1198 | 277 | 63.05 | 4 | 2 |
| Hashim Amla | 2008 | 15 | 1161 | 159 | 52.77 | 3 | 6 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | 2003 | 12 | 1156 | 228 | 64.22 | 4 | 3 |
| Dean Elgar | 2017 | 12 | 1128 | 199 | 53.71 | 5 | 4 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | 2001 | 13 | 1124 | 196 | 53.52 | 3 | 6 |
5. Jacques Kallis – 1198 runs in 2010
Jacques Kallis was the biggest name to come from this country in the last two decades. He was regarded as the best South African all-rounder in the history of the game. He had a better batting average than Sachin Tendulkar and a better bowling average than Zaheer Khan, which speaks volumes about his stature. Kallis made a total of 1198 runs in 2010 in 11 tests at an average of 79.81 and a best score of 201 not out. He also scored six centuries and two half-centuries.
4. Jacques Kallis – 1210 runs in 2007
Jacques Kallis is back again on this list with a fourth rank as well. Kallis was one of the few cricketers who opened innings with both bat and ball regularly and was a real asset for his team in both departments across all three formats. Over the years, he scored tons of runs. Just like in 2007, he scored 1210 runs in just nine tests at an average of 86.43 and a best of 186, including five centuries and six half-centuries.
3. Hashim Amla – 1249 runs in 2010
Hashim Amla just changed the way of batting in all three formats for South Africa. He was a stylish batter who was regarded as a test specialist, but he later proved everyone wrong with some remarkable records in the white-ball format as well. Amla scored the most test runs for South Africa in 2010. He scored 1249 runs in 11 tests at an average of 78.06 and a best of 253 not out. Amla also scored five centuries and four half-centuries.
2. Jacques Kallis – 1288 runs in 2004
Jacques Kallis makes another entry in this list, and this time with the second-most test runs in a calendar year for his country. The star all-rounder scored the most runs for his country in test cricket with 13206 runs and 45 centuries. His best year with the bat came in 2004. Kallis played 11 games in that year and scored 1288 runs at an average of 80.50 and scored 162 as his best. He also made five centuries and seven half-centuries in 2004.
1. Graeme Smith – 1656 runs in 2008
2008 was a golden year for the former South African skipper Graeme Smith. He was at the peak of his batting career. Smith was a great leader, winning most tests as a captain. But he was also a great opening batter. Smith holds the record for the fourth-most test runs in a calendar year, which came in 2008. He scored a total of 1656 runs in 15 tests at an average of 72 and a best of 232. The southpaw also scored six centuries and six half-centuries.