Cricket's Fastest Centuries: Hitting 100 at Record Speed

A century in cricket has always been a defining milestone — 100 runs from a single innings that confirms a batter as world-class. But the fastest centuries, measured in balls faced, represent extraordinary hitting that transforms a match in minutes rather than hours.

Fastest ODI Century: AB de Villiers — 31 Balls

The fastest century in ODI cricket was scored by AB de Villiers for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015 — off just 31 balls. De Villiers hit 16 fours and 9 sixes in his 149 off 44 balls in total. The innings required South Africa to score rapidly to reach a competitive total, and De Villiers responded with one of the most violent batting displays in cricket history.

Fastest Test Century: Records and History

The fastest Test century in terms of balls faced is disputed depending on the period of cricket considered. The most widely recognised modern record is shared: Sir Jack Hobbs' 113-minute century in 1902, Sir Donald Bradman's 98-minute century, and Misbah ul Haq's 56-ball century against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014 — equal to Viv Richards' 56-ball Test century in 1986 in Test cricket's official fastest century records.

Fastest T20I Century

In T20I cricket, centuries are rare due to the short format (maximum 120 balls per innings). The fastest came from Brendon McCullum of New Zealand — off just 54 balls against Bangladesh at Queenstown in 2010. McCullum's New Zealand team posted 214 batting first, with McCullum's century arriving at extreme speed. Chris Gayle also scored a T20I century off 30 balls for West Indies vs Zimbabwe in 2015, though some record-keepers list this differently due to match classification.