Fastest Century in Tests, ODIs and T20 Cricket History: Smashing all Records

One of the most interesting things to watch in cricket as a fan is to see a batsman be at the top of his game and smack bowlers left right and center. It gets even more exciting when this smacking is not just limited to a quick-fire cameo, but when the batsman goes on to reach a three figures score, scoring a hundred or even a double hundred. In international cricket history, we have seen many batters set the record and then others smash it by scoring the fastest century in cricket. 

In this chapter by ZAP, let us look at a list of players with the fastest century in each format of the game.

Fastest Century in Test Cricket:

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You don’t see batsmen power hitting much in the test cricket format. You need to stay calm, build an inning, and then change gears if required. Striking the leather ball from the very start doesn’t happen very often. But with the evolving game, teams like the England Team with their Bazball tactics, have adopted a newer approach to batting, and playing with a higher strike rate, just as if you were playing ODI in test matches. In this list, let's look at the players with the fastest century in test cricket:

Brendan McCullum from New Zealand scored the fastest century in Test cricket history, taking only 54 balls to reach this milestone during a match against Australia in Christchurch in the 2015/16 season. This was his farewell test match for the New Zealand team and what a way to say goodbye! With his innings, he broke the previous record held by Sir Viv Richards, who reached a hundred in 56 balls against England in 1985.  

Fastest Century in ODI Cricket:

Credit: Bleacher Report

ODI format is one of the most exciting formats of the game, where a batsman has to both, anchor an innings while also keeping the run rate optimal. But some batsmen don’t fear taking on the bowlers with the bat in their hand and attack with all their might. In 1972, Dennis Amiss became the first player to score a hundred in an ODI and took 134 balls to reach the three figures mark. 50 years down the line the game has evolved considerably and the strike rate at which the players score has accelerated over the years. Let’s look at the players with the fastest ODI century in international cricket. 

Mr. 360, AB de Villiers, currently holds the fastest hundred record in One Day Internationals (ODIs), reaching the three figure mark in just 31 balls. He achieved this during a match against the West Indies at the Wanderers Stadium. ABD showed remarkable power hitting by scoring 149 runs in a mere 44 balls, at an explosive strike rate of 338.63 hitting nine fours and an impressive 16 sixes on his way to setting the record. 

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Fastest Century in T20I Cricket:

T20 is the shortest format and the base of the format lies about the batsmen going all guns blazing and attacking from the first ball of the powerplay. Given the amount of balls in an innings, scoring a hundred in the T20I format is still very impressive. But now, with the rise of more T20 leagues and the evolving game, more and more batsmen have started reaching the three figures mark, in even less balls. Let’s look at players with the fastest t20 century in international cricket. 

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The fastest century in Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) came from the Nepal Team batsman Kushal Malla against Mongolia in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China, in 2023, with 34 balls. Though the match wasn't of the best quality, played on a smaller ground and against a very low-ranked team, you cannot take anything away from Kushal Malla's insane hitting. The previous record for the fastest 100 in Twenty20 Internationals was shared by David Miller of South Africa, Rohit Sharma of India, Louis van der Westhuizen of Kenya, and Sudesh Wickramasekara of the Czech Republic all reaching their hundreds in just 35 deliveries.

Fastest Century in the IPL:

Credit: Sportskeeda

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the best T20 tournaments in the world, and there’s a chance for any record to be broken on any given matchday. Over the past 16 years, the IPL has witnessed some remarkable batting displays, with players scoring hundreds at an astonishing strike rates. These hundreds have been game-changers and came at an unbelievable strike rate, proving to be match-winning for their respective teams. So, let's look at these incredible batting performances by listing down the players with the fastest century in the IPL. 

In 2013, playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Pune Warriors India (PWI), Chris Gayle created history by smashing 175 runs in just 66 balls at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. On the way to this innings, he also set the record for the fastest hundred in the Indian Premier League (IPL), reaching it in only 30 balls. His incredible innings included 17 sixes and 13 fours and helped RCB score a massive 263/5 in 20 overs. 

Fastest Century in Women’s ODI Cricket history:

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In women's cricket, England's Nat Sciver-Brunt set the record for the fastest century in women's One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The all-rounder hit an incredible 120 from 74 balls against Sri Lanka, and reached her 100 in just 66 balls. She broke the record set by her countrywoman Charlotte Edwards (70 balls) which she set in 2012 against New Zealand.

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