Top 10 Fastest Centuries In T20I Cricket

Hitting centuries is a landmark every batsman aspires to achieve across the formats. And it becomes more difficult, when it comes to Twenty20 format of the game. Who makes it to the list of top 10 fastest centuries in T20Is?

The concept of T20 cricket has changed the mindset of the batsmen. They now take on the bowlers from the word go to make the life of the bowlers tough. The world cricket has also witnessed some of the most aggressive batters to have played the game.

From Chris Gayle to Rohit Sharma to Australia’s David Warner, they have murdered bowling units on a given day. Hitting fast centuries is a challenging job nowadays and batters take up the task of scoring fastest hundreds.

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We at Cricket Addictor will take a look at the top ten fastest centuries scored in the Twenty20 Internationals till date:

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CHRIS GAYLE (47 balls)

Chris Gayle is arguably the most destructing T20I batsman to play the game. He ran through the English attack in West Indies’ opening match of the 2016 World T20. Chasing 183 runs set by England, the Caribbeans lost their opening batsman for a duck.

The Universe Boss started the proceedings with a boundary over mid-off and then followed it with a six. Two consecutive sixes off leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the ninth marked the start of a brutal assault. He continued with the carnage throughout the innings.

Gayle’s fifty came in 27 balls and his 100 came off 47 and thus broke his own record of the fastest hundred in World T20s.

AARON FINCH (47 balls)

Australia opener Aaron Finch toyed with the England bowlers to post the highest ever individual score in T20Is in Southampton after being put in to bat. He set the tone with a six off the first ball, bowled by Steven Finn whom he milked for three more fours in the coming overs as Australia scored 58 for one in the powerplays.

A six off Ravi Bopara took him to 55 in 26 deliveries. And in the next 11 deliveries, sprinted to his maiden century. He wasn’t done yet as he continued to crush England bowlers and eventually scored 156 off just 63 balls with 11 boundaries and record 15 sixes.

It was then the highest score by an individual in the T20Is.

KL RAHUL (46 balls)

India opener KL Rahul is one of the most unpredictable batsmen in the country. On the day he gets going, Rahul can murder any bowling unit across the globe. Against West Indies at Lauderhill, KL Rahul became the third Indian batsman after Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma to hit a T20I ton.

The Karnataka-born batsman recorded an unbeaten maiden century off 46 deliveries – then joint second-fastest in the format. He almost took India to the most successful T20I chases ever. Chasing a massive target of 246, Rahul struck 12 fours and five sixes to almost do the impossible.

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Coming out at no 4, Rahul scored an unbeaten 51-ball 100 to set the stage on fire after Evin Lewis had launched a carnage in the first innings.

FAF DU PLESSIS (46 balls)

Faf du Plessis has played many memorable innings for his country. However, his 46-ball century against West Indies at the Wanderers in a T20I game will go down as one of his best. After South Africa were given early jolts, du Plessis walked in at three.

He bailed out his side enroute a century to help South Africa post a massive total. During his knock, du Plessis took Sulieman Benn for 20 runs in over including three fours and one six. A six over midwicket took him to his half-century while a boundary to his century.

As a result, he became the second centurion from his country in the format. Faf du Plessis finally got out on 117 runs helping his side to post 231 runs for the loss of seven wickets.

RICHARD LEVI (45 balls)

South African batsman Richard Levi announced himself to the world in style, smashing the then fastest T20I hundred off just 46 deliveries. Levi playing in his second T20I, achieved the record while leading a successful run chase of 173 against New Zealand.

His first fifty came in 25 balls and for his next, Levi took just 20. Doug Bracewell was at the receiving end of the carnage as the Proteas batsman took 34 runs off him including five sixes. Levi’s out of the world hitting helped South Africa chase down the target with 24 balls to spare.

The right-handed batsman remained unbeaten on 117, hitting five fours and a record 13 sixes during his knock.

JEAN-PIERRE KOTZE (43 balls)

The Namibian wicket-keeper batsman JP Kotze announced his arrival in the T20I cricket with a swashbuckling century against Botswana. Kotze came out to bat in the 11th over and brought his century in no time. 

The southpaw struck seven fours and nine sixes to bring his century off just 43 balls. Kotze started off slow taking some time to settle in but once he struck his first six in the 13th over, the left-handed batsman was all over the Botswana bowlers.

His quickfire century helped Namibia to post 240 runs in their 20 overs to script a 124-run win.

HAZRATULLAH ZAZAI (42 balls)

Earlier this year, Hazratullah Zazai launched a carnage against Ireland in Dehradun. The southpaw coming out to bat first went all guns blazing against the likes of Boyd Ranking and Peter Chase.

Zazai and Usman Ghani smacked everything at their disposal to add 236 runs for the first wicket. The southpaw smacked an unbeaten 162 off just 62 balls. Zazai brought his century in just 42 balls to take his name to the list of the fastest individuals to score T20I.

The 21-year-old knock included 11 boundaries and 16 sixes which will remain in the heart of every cricket lovers.

SUDESH WICKRAMASEKARA (35 balls)

The 37-year-old all-rounder from Czech Republic, Sudesh Wickramasekara took the cricketing world by storm when he scored an unbeaten century off just 35 balls. He became the first cricketer from their country to record a three-figure mark.

Batting first, Czech Republic posted a massive target of 278 runs in their quota of 20 overs against Turkey. Sudesh, coming out to bat at four ran over the unexperienced Turkey bowlers to hit eight fours and ten sixes to register an unbeaten 104 runs off just 35 deliveries.

Sudesh backed his batting performance with two wickets to bowl out Turkey for just 21 runs to secure a massive 257 runs win.

ROHIT SHARMA (35 balls)

India’s very own Rohit Sharma equalled the record for the quickest ton in the format against Sri Lanka in Indore. The Mumbai-born batsman scaled the record of South Africa’s David Miller within two months.

Batting first, Rohit leading India in the absence of regular captain Virat Kohli, took on the Sri Lankan bowling attack. He pierced the field with perfection and found the boundaries with ease. In the process, Rohit brought his century in just 35 balls.

In doing so, he also recorded the fastest ton by an Indian across formats and became the first from his country to score two centuries in T20Is.

DAVID MILLER (35 balls)

David Miller struck a 35-ball hundred when he went bonkers against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom. He came in to bat at the end of the 10th over after South Africa batted first in the second and final T20I against Bangladesh.

The southpaw got a lifeline on a duck and Miller went berserk since then. He smacked everything at his disposal. He amassed five consecutive sixes off the penultimate over from Mohammad Saifuddin to finish on 101 not out off just 36 balls.

Miller registered his first T20I century and with that recorded the fastest T20I century. He broke his countryman Richard Levi’s record of fastest hundred which came from 45 balls.

(All stats updated till 12th September, 2019)