There is nothing more satisfactory for a batsman than scoring lots of runs to help their team succeed. And the cherry on top comes if the player crosses three figures. And in ODI cricket, only a few things rival the thrill of witnessing the fast centuries. Batsmen flaunt their skills and muscle power by achieving ridiculously fast centuries. Their skills and power serve as a testament to their ability to score runs at a mind-boggling speed. Such performances never fail to captivate spectators, leaving them mesmerized by the display of cricketing prowess.
This article will feature the fastest century makers in ODIs who’ve entertained and mesmerized the fans and experts with their extraordinary performances.
So, fasten your seat belts as we delve into the top 10 fastest centuries in ODI cricket.
Let’s get started!
Here is your quick look at the list of top 10 batsman who scored fastest century in ODI cricket history.
| Player | Match | Runs | Balls | 6s | 4s | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB de Villiers | South Africa v West Indies | 149 | 31 | 16 | 9 | 18/01/2015 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand v West Indies | 131* | 36 | 14 | 6 | 01/01/2014 |
| Shahid Afridi | Pakistan v Sri Lanka | 102 | 37 | 11 | 6 | 04/10/1996 |
| Asif Khan | UAE v Nepal | 101* | 41 | 11 | 4 | 16/03/2023 |
| Mark Boucher | South Africa v Zimbabwe | 147* | 44 | 10 | 8 | 20/09/2006 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies v Bangladesh | 117 | 45 | 4 | 18 | 09/10/1999 |
| Shahid Afridi | Pakistan v India | 102 | 45 | 9 | 10 | 15/04/2005 |
| Jesse Ryder | New Zealand v West Indies | 104 | 46 | 5 | 12 | 01/01/2014 |
| Jos Buttler | England v Pakistan | 116* | 46 | 8 | 10 | 20/11/2015 |
| Jos Buttler | England v Netherlands | 162* | 47 | 14 | 7 | 17/06/2022 |
* Star indicates the player was not out in the innings.
AB de Villiers, who is the most dangerous batsman in IPL history, holds the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket, having achieved the milestone in just 31 balls. Since 2015, no one has been able to match or surpass the incredible record of AB “Freak” de Villiers.
Let’s provide a comprehensive understanding of all these innings, what the situations were, and how they were able to reach these scores.
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The South African legend tops the list of 10 fastest centuries in ODI cricket and also one of the most dangerous batsman in IPL. He achieved this remarkable feat by reaching his century in just 31 balls against a formidable bowling attack from the West Indies.
It was in the second match of the tournament when AB de Villiers went berserk and scored a personal milestone of 149 runs in 44 balls.
In that match, both openers Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw also scored a ton each. And then it was a chance for AB de Villiers to show his talent and boy, he did. The South African batting line-up was in scintillating form, as they posted a mammoth total of 439/2 while batting first.
The massive score of the team proved to be unattainable for the West Indies, as South Africa went on to win the match with a high margin of 148 runs. This match is remembered for its remarkable display of batting prowess, with multiple centuries and a dominant performance from the whole team.
The second-fastest century in ODI cricket was also achieved against the formidable pace attack of West Indies, this time in Queenstown, New Zealand. This match took place on January 1st, 2014, and was shortened due to rain. Each team was given 21 overs to prove their mettle, and New Zealand made the most of this limited time.
New Zealand posted a gigantic score of 283/4 in 21 overs, thanks to the innings of Jesse Ryder and Cory Anderson, who both scored centuries. Cory Anderson reached his century in just 36 balls; he continued his onslaught and remained unbeaten on 131 of just 47 balls.
In response, the West Indies struggled to chase the target and could only manage to score 124/5 losing the match by a huge margin of 159 runs.
On October 2nd, 1996, Shahid Afridi debuted against Kenya in a four-team tournament, but unfortunately, he didn’t get the opportunity to bat in that inning. However, just two days later, on October 4th, 1996, Shahid Afridi announced his arrival on the international scene by smashing a 37 ball century. This kind of batting was unheard of in those times; it was something altogether different.
In that match against Sri Lanka, Shahid Afridi contributed 102 from 40 balls in the 371/9 total scored by Pakistan. In response, Sri Lanka didn’t sell well, but their middle order stitched some good partnerships. However, the wickets kept falling, and Sri Lanka ended up losing by 82 runs.
Asif Khan is the new entrant to the list of ODI fastest century holders. Asif is one of the new faces from the UAE who are shining in the cricket scene. In March 2023, Asif played a scintillating knock of 101 in just 42 balls.
With the help of this knock, UAE posted a good total of 310/6 on the scoreboard against Nepal. In response, the Nepalese players displayed some exceptional cricketing skills and managed to reach a total of 269 runs in 44 overs. However, due to rain interruptions, the match could not be resumed, and Nepal emerged victorious by 9 runs based on the DLS method.
This list of the fastest centuries in Cricket features another South African legend from the golden era of cricket for the country. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored a quick hundred in just 44 balls.
The foundation was laid by the openers for a big finish and his inning was a testament to the skills possessed by the South African batsmen of the era. He completed his century in just 44 balls and continued the onslaught, eventually scoring 147 in 68 deliveries. On the back of this inning, South Africa posted a gigantic total of 418/5 against Zimbabwe. Scaling this huge total, Zimbabwe lost the match by 171 runs.
Brian Lara was one of the most enigmatic and aggressive batsmen from the West Indies. He has numerous records in Test and ODI cricket, but not many know about his quickfire century in ODI cricket.
In 1999, he scored a memorable century in just 45 balls against Bangladesh. His century consisted of 18 fours and 4 sixes which are the longest six in cricket history. In that inning, he also made a valuable contribution with the ball, taking 2 wickets in his 2.1 overs.
He played a crucial role in helping his team post 314 runs on the scoreboard. The West Indies then went on to defend the score well and win the game by 109 runs.
We have another fastest century in ODI in this list by Shahid Afridi. This time he played a memorable knock of 102 against their arch-rivals India. Afridi has always been consistent with bat and ball, but this century came 9 years after the first knock on this list.
While chasing down a target of 250 against the fastest bowlers in India, Pakistan’s openers started well, and in the process, Shahid Afridi reached the century in 45 balls. They scaled the target within 43 overs and won the match by 5 wickets.
Jesse Ryder from New Zealand hit a 46-ball century in the same way as Corey Anderson. Both players were excellent in the match and took their team to a great position.
Jesse Ryder opened the batting with Martin Guptill. Unfortunately, Guptill departed in the second over. Ryder then formed small partnerships with Brandon McCullum and Ross Taylor until Corey Anderson arrived at the crease in the 8th over. Just after an over of cautious batting, both batsmen unleashed an onslaught and reached the milestone.
One of the modern-day greats, Jos Buttler, showcased his brilliance by scoring a quick century off just 46 balls against a potent bowling attack from Pakistan. He took the game from Pakistan by scoring a quickfire century in just 46 balls in 2015 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Eventually, he made 116 in 52 balls, guiding his team to a commendable total of 355/5 in 50 overs. In response, Pakistan bundled out 271 in just 40.4 overs. They could have won the match if they had wickets in hand.
Just like Shahid Afridi, Jos Buttler features twice in this list of the fastest ODI century holders. This time, he scored a 47-ball century against the Netherlands on June 17, 2022.
Buttler came in at number four and played a remarkable inning, scoring an unbeaten 162 in just 70 balls. Additionally, Phil Salt and Dawid Malan also contributed centuries of their own. On the back of these three innings, England posted the highest ODI score in history, amassing a total of 498 runs. The Netherlands team bowled out for 266 in the 50th over in the chase.
The record for the fastest century in ODI is held by none other than Virat Kohli. In 2013, during a match against Australia, India seemed to be in a difficult position when Australia scored 359/5 in their 50 overs.
However, India got off to a flying start thanks to Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. The two top-order batsmen put together 176 runs. Shikhar Dhawan was gone for 95 runs, and then Virat Kohli stepped up to complete the chase. Virat scored the fastest 100 in an ODI for an Indian, reaching the milestone in just 52 balls. Kohli smashed eight fours and 7 sixes in the innings to win the game for India in just 44 overs.
These types of consistent performances earned him the title of GOAT in Cricket. Also, read our detailed guide on fastest stumping in cricket.
Scoring the fastest century requires grit, determination, an aggressive approach, and extraordinary skills. This list features players who possess all these qualities and deserve to be featured. Their names are forever etched in history books.
Check out this list and tell us your favorite knock.
Ans: The South African, AB de Villiers holds the record for the Fastest Century in ODI cricket history.
Ans: Virat Kohli scored the fastest century for India in just 52 balls against Australia in Jaipur.
Ans: Only 9 players have scored centuries in under 50 balls in ODIs.
