3. Kumar Sangakkara

The elegant run machine of Sri Lanka, Kumar Sangakkara will never be far away from any list of batsmen. Arguably the greatest left-hander to ever play the game, Sangakkara was in a league of his own. He adapted to every condition in his ODI career and his textbook technique allowed him to hit so many fours. The current MCC chairman was not a power hitter but a batsman that relied on finding the gaps in the field.

The former Sri Lanka captain represented his nation in 404 ODI matches in his career. He notched up 14234 runs, which is the second most of all time in ODI history. Sangakkara struck exactly 1385 fours in his 15-year storied career. The master craftsman had the capability of hitting even the best deliveries of the bowlers to the boundary fence.