A Century in Cricket: What It Means, How It's Celebrated, and Famous Hundreds
Scoring 100 runs in a single innings is cricket's most celebrated batting milestone. This guide explains what a century means, the scoring milestones leading up to it, how they're celebrated, and the famous centuries that defined careers and matches.
In cricket, a century (100 runs in a single innings) is the batsman's golden standard — a milestone that separates good innings from great ones. Reaching 50 is a half-century (celebrated with a raised bat). Reaching 100 triggers a more elaborate acknowledgement — the century salute, the remove-of-helmet, the acknowledgement to teammates and crowd. Centuries are how batting careers are measured: the number of them, their context, and the moments they were scored in.
Scoring Milestones
The landmarks in a batting innings are 50 (half-century, marked with a raised bat), 100 (century), 150, 200 (double century), 250, 300 (triple century), and 400 (quadruple century — achieved only by Brian Lara). Each boundary that brings a batsman to a milestone is greeted with applause, though the 100 milestone is unique: the batsman typically removes their helmet and raises the bat to the pavilion, teammates, and all four corners of the ground.
Context Makes Centuries Matter
Not all centuries are equal. Ben Stokes' 135 not out to win Headingley 2019 — chasing 359, with England 286/9 — is the greatest match-winning century in modern Test history. Tendulkar's 100th international century (in an ODI vs Bangladesh in 2012) was anticlimactic because India lost despite his century. A century that saves a Test match, chases down a target, or comes in a World Cup final carries immeasurably more narrative weight than a century in a comfortable winning position.
Famous Centuries in Cricket History
The most celebrated Test centuries include: Gary Sobers' 365 not out vs Pakistan in 1958 (then the world record); Len Hutton's 364 vs Australia in 1938; VVS Laxman's 281 in Kolkata 2001; Kumar Sangakkara's four consecutive centuries in the 2015 World Cup; Don Bradman's 334 in Leeds 1930. In T20 cricket, centuries — achieved in 60 balls or fewer — are increasingly common, with Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma among the format's most celebrated century-scorers.
Frequently asked questions
What is a century in cricket?
A century in cricket is when a batsman scores 100 runs in a single innings. It's the game's most celebrated individual batting milestone. Batsmen who score a century typically raise their bat and helmet in acknowledgement to the crowd and pavilion.
What is a double century in cricket?
A double century (200 runs in a single innings) is one of cricket's rarest batting achievements in Tests. Players like Sachin Tendulkar (who scored the first ODI double century, 200 not out vs South Africa in 2010) and Don Bradman (with 12 Test double centuries) are synonymous with the milestone.
Who has scored the most international centuries?
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for most international centuries — 100 across Tests (51) and ODIs (49). Virat Kohli is second with 80+ international centuries as of 2026.