Cricket Batting Milestones Explained: 50, 100, 150, 200 and Double Century
What batting milestones mean in cricket — the significance of 50 runs (half-century), 100 (century), 150, 200, and 250+ (double century), how they are celebrated, and the records for most centuries in Test cricket.
Cricket batting milestones — 50, 100, 150, 200 — are celebrated throughout any level of cricket as individual achievements that mark significant contributions to the team total. The century (100 runs in a single innings) is the primary individual batting milestone in cricket, equivalent in cultural significance to a hat-trick for bowlers — both are round-number achievements that carry strong symbolic weight.
Half-Century (50 Runs)
A half-century (or 'fifty') is scored when a batter reaches 50 runs in a single innings. At lower levels of cricket, a fifty is a significant achievement; at Test level, it represents a solid contribution but is considered a starting point rather than a complete innings for quality batters. Many great Test batters convert their fifties to centuries more often than not — the conversion rate (percentage of innings where a batter who reaches 50 goes on to 100) is a useful indicator of a batter's mental temperament and technique.
Century (100 Runs)
A century is cricket's most celebrated individual batting milestone — 100 runs in a single innings. In Test cricket, a century typically takes 150–250+ balls to complete; in limited-overs cricket, 100-ball centuries are common and sub-50-ball centuries have been scored (AB de Villiers's 31-ball ODI century being the fastest ever). Century celebrations typically involve the batter raising their bat to all four sections of the ground — acknowledging their teammates, the crowd, and their own achievement. Scorecards show centuries as '100+' scores with specific significance in statistical records.
Double Century and Beyond
A double century (200+ in a single innings) is one of cricket's rarest individual achievements in Test cricket. The highest individual Test innings is 400 not out — Brian Lara against England in 2004. Other 300+ Test innings include Lara's previous record 375 (1994), Don Bradman's 334 (1930), Hanif Mohammad's 337 (1958), and Len Hutton's 364 (1938). Virender Sehwag scored two Test triple centuries — 309 against Pakistan (2004) and 319 against South Africa (2008) — the only Indian to score 300+ in a Test innings. In ODI cricket, 200+ by an individual has been achieved fewer than five times — Rohit Sharma scored 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014, the highest individual ODI innings.
Frequently asked questions
What is a century in cricket?
100 runs scored by a single batter in one innings — cricket's most celebrated individual batting milestone. Typically takes 150–250+ balls in Test cricket; faster in limited-overs. Celebrated by the batter raising their bat to all four sections of the ground.
Who has scored the most centuries in Test cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar (India) — 51 Test centuries plus 49 ODI centuries = 100 international centuries total, the most by any cricketer. No other player has scored 100 international centuries (Kohli finished with 85: 30 Test + 54 ODI + 1 T20I). Tendulkar's 100th came against Bangladesh in March 2012. Kohli surpassed Tendulkar's ODI-only record (49 centuries) in November 2023, but Tendulkar's 100 total international centuries landmark stands alone.
What is the highest individual innings in Test cricket?
400 not out — Brian Lara (West Indies) against England at Antigua in 2004. Lara had previously held the record with 375 in 1994 (which Matthew Hayden briefly broke with 380 in 2003, before Lara reclaimed it). Other 300+ Test innings include Hanif Mohammad (337), Len Hutton (364), Don Bradman (334), and Virender Sehwag (309 and 319).