Hayden returns with a bang in 2007, and Amarnath's 1983 meltdown

That Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most one-day runs in a year should surprise no one. He's been around for 18 years now but his best is easily 1998, the year that he savaged the Australians for 621 of his 1894 runs at an average of nearly 89. And it shouldn't surprise you that the top six spots for most runs in a year are occupied by Asians - Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Saeed Anwar - given the amount of one-day cricket the subcontinent plays compared to everyone else. But in 2007, Tendulkar's record might be under threat, and it's not from an Asian.

Matthew Hayden has already muscled his way to becoming the fastest - in terms of days lapsed - to reach 1000 runs in a year. He reached the landmark during his unbeaten 47 against Bangladesh in the World Cup on March 31, nearly two months quicker than Rahul Dravid in 1999. It's a remarkable feat considering that he's reached it in only 18 matches. David Gower did it in 17 in 1983 while Tendulkar took 19 in 1998 and 1996.

Hayden has 1042 runs so far in 2007. If Australia go all the way in the World Cup, he will have five more games plus eight months left in the year to sprint towards Tendulkar. According to current schedules, in that time Australia will have ten ODIs scheduled against India, and - politics allowing - three against Zimbabwe. And all this after he spent the best part of 19 months out of the one-day team before making a comeback for the CB series in January 2007.

Fastest to 1000 runs in a calendar year - ODIs

Player	Date	Mat	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Year	Runs
ML Hayden (Aus)	31 Mar 2007	18	1001	181*	66.73	4		-	-
R Dravid (India)	29 May 1999	20	1027	145	57.05	4		43	1761
ME Waugh (Aus)	9 Jun 1999	26	1092	104	43.68	1		36	1468
DI Gower (Eng)	15 Jun 1983	17	1011	158	67.40	4		20	1086
SR Tendulkar (India)	19 Jun 1998	19	1038	143	57.66	4		34	1894
KC Sangakkara (SL)	4 Jul 2006	26	1020	109	44.34	1		36	1333
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	23 Aug 1999	31	1045	154	33.70	2		37	1241
G Kirsten (SA)	25 Aug 2000	25	1004	115	45.63	1		36	1467
SC Ganguly (India)	29 Aug 1999	25	1062	183	44.25	2		41	1767
SR Tendulkar (India)	1 Sep 1996	19	1033	137	57.38	5		32	1611
M Azharuddin (India)	20 Sep 1998	28	1045	153*	47.50	3		37	1268
SC Ganguly (India)	26 Sep 1998	27	1000	124	40.00	3		36	1328
PA de Silva (SL)	28 Sep 1996	24	1011	145	56.16	3		30	1188
M Azharuddin (India)	30 Sep 1997	29	1000	111*	45.45	1		36	1104
SC Ganguly (India)	30 Sep 1997	31	1050	113	40.38	1		38	1338

Click here for the fastest bowlers to 50 ODI wickets in a year.

David Gower is the only batsman from the 1980s among the first 30 entries in our table. In an era without the fat-bats, flat pitches and fielding restrictions, it's an astonishing achievement. Gower - the quickest to 1000 in a year in terms of matches played - began 1983 with 563 runs in the Benson and Hedges World Series and finished the year as top-scorer in the World Cup with 384 runs at an average of just under 77. Hayden already has 436 in the 2007 edition.

Dravid is the only batsman who features in the top ten of both one-day and Test tables. Dravid reached 1000 runs in May, mid-way through the 1999 World Cup, in which he was the top-scorer with 461 runs in eight innings. Dravid finished 1999 with 1761 runs but was beaten by Ganguly who ended up with 1767 runs. Dravid was quick to reach 1000 Test runs in June 2006 - third in the table - with successful series in Pakistan and West Indies. However, he finished the year with a poor series in South Africa.

Would Mohinder Amarnath even be among your guesses for the fastest batsman to reach 1000 Test runs in a year? He raced to the landmark by the end of April in 1983, Viv Richards in 1976 is in second place. Amarnath scored two hundreds and three fifties against Pakistan at the start of the year and then had an immensely successful tour of West Indies during which he ran up scores of 28, 40, 58, 117, 13, 91, 80, 54 and 116. He then led India to World Cup glory by winning Man-of-the-Match awards in the semi-final and final, also against West Indies. It all came crashing down during the home series when the same team he flogged from Jamaica to Antigua came back with a vengeance and nailed him for 0,0,1,0,0,0 in three Tests.

Fastest to 1000 runs in a calendar year - Tests

Player	Date	Mat	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Year	Runs
M Amarnath (India)	28 Apr 1983	9	1065	120	71.00	4		14	1077
IVA Richards (WI)	3 Jun 1976	8	1176	232	84.00	5		11	1710
R Dravid (India)	30 Jun 2006	10	1046	146	74.71	3		12	1095
DL Amiss (Eng)	4 Jul 1974	8	1033	262*	86.08	4		13	1379
DG Bradman (Aus)	22 Jul 1948	7	1025	201	128.12	5		8	1025
BC Lara (WI)	29 Jul 2004	10	1077	400*	67.31	3		12	1178
GA Gooch (Eng)	9 Aug 1990	7	1013	333	84.41	4		9	1264
ST Jayasuriya (SL)	9 Aug 1997	8	1114	340	74.26	3		11	1271
BC Lara (WI)	10 Aug 1995	11	1043	152	61.35	3		12	1222
CH Gayle (WI)	12 Aug 2004	11	1018	141	53.57	3		12	1135
DCS Compton (Eng)	16 Aug 1947	9	1159	208	82.78	6		9	1159
Mohammad Yousuf (Pak)	17 Aug 2006	8	1123	202	86.38	5		11	1788
RR Sarwan (WI)	19 Aug 2004	12	1005	261*	50.25	3		12	1005
KF Barrington (Eng)	22 Aug 1963	11	1015	132*	53.42	3		11	1015
GA Gooch (Eng)	22 Aug 1991	9	1040	174	65.00	3		9	1040

Click here for the fastest bowlers to 50 Test wickets in a year.

Bradman, who is usually the answer to most questions concerning Test runs, has taken the least matches to reach 1000 runs in a year. He did it in just seven matches in 1948, his last year on the Test circuit. Since then three other batsmen have also racked up 1000 in seven matches; Garry Sobers in 1958, Graham Gooch in 1990, nearly half of those in the Lord's Test against India, and Ricky Ponting in 2006.