The fastest Test century in cricket, in terms of balls faced, was scored by New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum. He reached his century in 54 balls against Australia in Christchurch in 2016. The previous record was held by Misbah-ul-Haq of Pakistan, who scored a century in 56 balls against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014.
Test cricket is a form of cricket that is played between national representative teams with “Test status”, as determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Test cricket is first-class cricket, so it is of the highest standard and is played in a traditional white uniform with red balls.
Test matches are played over five days, with six hours of play each day. There are breaks for lunch and tea, and the teams have the opportunity to rest and regroup during the evening. The goal of the game is for one team to score more runs than the other team and to dismiss the opposition 10 times (known as a “win by an innings”). If the scores are level after both teams have completed their innings, the game is a draw.
Test cricket is known for its high level of skill and endurance required to play at the highest level, and it is considered the ultimate test of a cricketer’s ability.
There have been several other fast centuries in Test cricket, but these two are the fastest in terms of balls faced.
[table “101” not found /]List of the 10 Fastest Test Centuries in Cricket
1. Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) – 54 balls against Australia in Christchurch in 2016
Brendon McCullum Hit the Fastest Test Century in the Cricket History.
2. Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) – 56 balls against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014
3. Viv Richards
Viv Richards (West Indies) – 56 balls against England in Antigua in 1986
4. Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist (Australia) – 57 balls against England in Perth in 2006
5. Jack Gregory
Jack Gregory (AUS) – 67 balls against South Africa
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6. David Warner
David Warner (AUS) – 69 balls against India
7. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) -69 balls against Austerlia
8. Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle (West Indies) – 70 balls against South Africa in Cape Town in 2004
9. Roy Fredericks
Roy Fredericks (WI) – 71 balls against Australia
10. Colin de Grandhomme
Colin de Grandhomme (NZ) – 71 balls against West Indies
It should be noted that these records were all set in the modern era of cricket, when the game has become more attacking and batsmen are more aggressive in their approach. In the past, Test cricket was played in a more defensive style and it was rare for a century to be scored in such a short time.
Slowest Test Century
It is difficult to determine the slowest century in Test cricket, as the speed at which a batsman scores his runs can vary greatly depending on the situation in the game, the quality of the opposition bowling attack, and the pitch and conditions.
However, there have been several instances of batsmen taking a long time to score their centuries in Test cricket. Some examples include:
- Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan) – took 970 minutes to score his century against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957
- Bob Simpson (Australia) – took 754 minutes to score his century against England in Manchester in 1964
- David Shepherd (England) – took 714 minutes to score his century against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1978
In these cases, the batsmen took a very long time to score their centuries due to the challenging conditions and the quality of the opposition bowling attack. They had to be patient and build their innings slowly in order to survive and score runs.