West Indies was only the fourth team to get “Test Status” from the ICC in 1928. But that was the beginning of a true force that took the cricket world by storm. West Indies was the team to beat from the early 1970s to the 1990s. A number of legends represented this team during this time.
Players like Viv Richards, Garry Sobers, Gordon Greenidge, and many more legendary batters played these beautiful games. Then, Brain Lara is another batter who was considered among the best in his era. The history of West Indian test cricket is very rich and brilliant. And here we will talk about some records from that history. In this article, we will cover the list of batters who scored the most test runs in a calendar year for West Indies.
Most Runs in Test Cricket in a Calendar Year for WI
| Batter | Year | Mts | Runs | HS | Avg | 100s | 50s |
| Viv Richards | 1976 | 11 | 1788 | 291 | 90.00 | 7 | 5 |
| Brain Lara | 2003 | 10 | 1344 | 209 | 74.67 | 5 | 5 |
| Garry Sobers | 1958 | 8 | 1299 | 365* | 144.33 | 6 | 3 |
| Brain Lara | 1995 | 12 | 1222 | 179 | 67.89 | 4 | 6 |
| Gordon Greenidge | 1984 | 15 | 1179 | 223 | 58.95 | 4 | 2 |
| Brain Lara | 2004 | 12 | 1178 | 400* | 58.90 | 3 | 4 |
| Brain Lara | 2001 | 9 | 1151 | 221 | 63.94 | 3 | 4 |
| Chris Gayle | 2004 | 12 | 1135 | 141 | 54.05 | 4 | 7 |
| Brain Lara | 2005 | 9 | 1110 | 226 | 65.29 | 5 | 0 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 2002 | 14 | 1065 | 140 | 66.56 | 4 | 6 |
5. Gordon Greenidge – 1179 runs in 1984
Former West Indian opener Gordon Greenidge was the prime reason for the West Indies’ dominance in their era. He made his debut in 1974 and played until 1991. Greenidge played over 100 tests in his career. In 1984, he scored a total of 1179 runs in 15 games at an average of 58.95, with a best of 223. He also scored four centuries and two half-centuries in that year.
4. Brain Lara – 1222 runs in 1995
Brain Lara was the biggest name that West Indies produced in the game of cricket in the last two or three decades. He holds many records in the longest format for his country, including the highest individual score of 400 not out. Lara had many superb years in his career. Just like in 1995, when he scored 1222 runs in 12 games at an average of 67.89 with a best of 179. The left-hander also scored four centuries and six half-centuries in that.
3. Garry Sobers – 1299 runs in 1958
Garry Sobers was arguably the best all-rounder that the West Indies has given to the world of cricket. He was the biggest asset for his country between 1954 and 1974. Sobers ended with 8032 runs and 235 wickets in his test career. His peak in batting came in 1958, when he scored 1299 runs in only 8 games at an incredible average of 144.33, with a best of 365 not out. He also scored six centuries and three half-centuries.
2. Brain Lara – 1344 runs in 2003
Brain Lara is back on this list with the second-most runs in a calendar year for the West Indies. He did it in 2003, when he scored more than 1300 runs. Lara scored 1344 runs in 10 games at an average of 74.67 and a high score of 209. The southpaw also scored five centuries and five half-centuries along with that.
1. Viv Richards – 1710 runs in 1976
The record for the most runs in a calendar year earlier belonged to West Indian legend and one of the biggest names from the country. Viv Richards broke every record when he smashed a total of 1710 runs in 11 games at an excellent average of 90 in 1976. He also scored seven centuries and five half-centuries in that year, with a best of 291. His record was broken by Mohammad Yousuf (1788 runs) after thirty years in 2003.