First Cricketer To Hit A Century For Each Team In Test Format

First Cricketer To Hit A Century For Each Team In Test Format; Scoring a century in Test cricket is always a special feeling for a batsman, as it would be a long-time dream for a batsman. Playing in Test cricket itself is a great merit point for a cricketer in his career. Then, imagine the feeling of a cricketer, who hits a century in this version of the game. Each hundred has it’s own importance and got memories attached to it to cherish.

Scoring a century for the country itself is a special moment, then, what if you are the first person to score a century for your country? Well, surely, an unexplainable feeling right? Only 12 cricketers in the world have experienced such feeling. Here, we brought you those 12 cricketers.

First Cricketer To Hit A Century For Each Team In Test Format:

1. Australia – Charles Bannerman

The knock from Charles Bannerman came way back in 1877. It was against England in the first Test. Charles Bannerman, who opened the innings for the team scored an unbeaten 165* runs before being retired hurt. It was a special knock from Bannerman for many reasons.

He was the lone centurion of the match. The second-highest score of the game from both the camps is 63, which was scored by England opener J Hupp. Such has been Charles’ talent at the opening position. In the end, he collected man of the match as his side won the game by 45 runs.

Another speciality about the match is – it was the first Test ever to play. All of them are making debuts. It was a timeless match and there used to be 4 balls in an over.

2. England – WG Grace

The inventors of cricket registered their first century in 1880 when WG Grace smashed a beautiful century against Australia. He was the opener of England and took 294 deliveries to score 152 runs to his name. Much to a surprise, he smashed only 12 boundaries during his flamboyant knock.

It was a stunning century for England, which helped them to put the highest tally during those times. They registered  420 runs in the first innings of the game. In the same match, Australia’s Murdoch also got an unbeaten 153* but England bowlers are too good in their business as they removed remaining lineup to bag a 5-wicket victory.

3. South Africa – Jimmy Sinclair

Yeah, the third country to register a century in Test cricket is South Africa. It was in 1899 when Jimmy Sinclair scored a brilliant 106 for South Africa. It was a special knock for Jimmy, as none of the players or fans in England felt that South Africa has got the goods to stand in front of England.

It was Jimmy’s knock, which kept South Africa in the game but the other batsmen never stood in the middle to face English bowlers, which saw them losing the game. In the end, England won the game by 210 runs.

4. West Indies – Clifford Roach

Then comes the West Indies into the mix. It was Clifford Roach, who tasted the first century in Test cricket from West Indies. Clifford Roach made 122 in the first innings, which included 22 fours. This was the first century by a West Indian batsman in Test history and Roach’s name was written in the history books. The Trinidadian right-hander followed up with 77 in the second innings.

It was in the same game, George Headly smashed 176 runs to his name. However, it came in second innings of the game, where Roach already registered his name. The duo involved in the highest partnership for West Indies, which was a benchmark for quite a few matches.

5. New Zealand – Stewie Dempster

There comes a Kiwi to the list. The flamboyant batsman was a brilliant cricketer for New Zealand during his times. After a world record partnership between Les Ames and Gubby Allen saw the hosts take a 230-run first-innings lead, he led the charge for New Zealand with an incredible determination.

Initially, with GL Weir and then with ML Curly Page, he launched a fightback. There was scintillating footwork and strokes all around the wicket. He smashed 120 runs before being dismissed to a stunning delivery from Englishman. The match took place in 1930.

6. India – Lala Amarnath

Then comes an Indian to the glorious chart. He was also the first Asian cricketer to smash a century in Test format of the game. It was in 1933 when this glorious feat took place. The match took place in Mumbai when England visited India. It was in the second innings when Lala Amarnath smashed a beautiful century.

However, the England team was too good to handle for India, as they lost the game by 9 wickets. Besides his batting heroics, he is a superb bowler as well. He holds the distinction of being the only bowler to get Donald Bradman out hit wicket. Amarnath played 24 Tests for India, making 848 runs at an average of 24.38. As a bowler, he picked up 45 wickets in 35 Test innings at an average of 32.91.

7. Pakistan – Nazar Mohammad

It was in 1952 and this knock came against India. The opening batsman used to play the game with a perfect technique, which saw his side scoring 330 runs on the board. It was a special knock from Nazar as he carried the bat throughout the innings.

In fact, the knock helped Pakistan to seal a comfortable victory as well. He played 5 Test for Pakistan, which came against India. In all those matches, he fared well for Pakistan but didn’t continue from thereon.

8. Sri Lanka – Sidath Wettimuny

The first Lankan batsman to smash a century is Sidath Wettimuny. After losing their first two Test matches on their home soil, Wettimuny scored a brilliant 157 in the second Test against Pakistan on March 14, 1982. He thus became the first Sri Lankan to make a century in Tests. With Roy Dias, he added 217 runs for the second wicket.

Wettimuny went on to become a match referee after retirement. He also became the President of the Sri Lankan Cricketers Association in 2006. He was also a part of Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee. He is also the First Lankan to hit a century at Lord’s.

9. Zimbabwe – Dave Houghton

He is not only the first batsman to score a century but also the first player to lead Zimbabwe in Test matches. Dave led his side in their inaugural Test against India in Harare. It was also the same match where a young Andy Flower made his debut. The duo shared 165-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Houghton was the chief architect of that partnership as well the Zimbabwean innings as he went on to make 121 and become the only man to score a century on Test debut while leading the side. That effort helped Zimbabwe gain a 149-run lead in the first innings and eventually a draw against India, which was led by Mohammad Azharuddin.

10. Bangladesh – Aminul Islam

The knock came against India in 2000. Yeah, they got their Test status very late but improved a lot ever since they got the nod from the apex body.  It was a memorable match for the country and Aminul made it an occasion to remember by grinding out a patient 145 in his debut innings.

He had modest efforts later on, but this one innings made him an overnight national hero. However, the brilliant knock from Ganguly and Sunil Joshi helped India to win the game. Joshi also bagged 8 wickets to his name. Rightly, he was awarded man of the match.

11. Ireland – Kevin O’Brien

Kevin O’Brien is one of the best cricketers that Ireland has ever produced. He already got many records to his name. He is his country’s first Test centurion and he holds the record for the fastest ever Cricket World Cup century. Kevin O’Brien has achieved a lot in his cricket career but he isn’t finished yet.

A right-handed batsman right-arm medium-fast bowler, O’Brien represented his country at the Under-19 World Cup, and then went on to have a decent ODI debut. He has always been a great fighter for his country irrespective of the opposition.

12. Afghanistan – Rahmat Shah

The latest player to enter the chart is Rahmat Shah. The flamboyant batsman is one of the consistent cricketers of Afghanistan. He is a true talent, which always improved with every game. Now, he became the first batsman from Afghanistan to score a century in Test format of the game.

The knock came against Bangladesh on Day 1 of the one-off Test played at Chattogram. His brilliant 102 consists of 10 boundaries and 2 sixes. Despite being dismissed, Asghar Afghan held the innings tightly to put Afghanistan in a comfortable position.