Test cricket and the fastest century this alignment looked wrong at first. But with the evolution of cricket especially the limited-overs cricket this alignment fits in a frame perfectly. Test cricket is often regarded as the most difficult format of the game, not just about making runs in both the innings. But the team has to offer a lot of things like resilience, patience, skills, temperament and teamwork to win a test match.
In a few terms scoring the fastest century done wonders for a team not just providing the momentum to the team but also putting them back into the match if a team is chasing a total after the early breakthroughs and turning the test cricket more entertaining over the last few years. In the list few of the players are from the last two decades.
Let us take a top 5 batsman with the fastest century in test cricket:
1. Brendon McCullum – 54 Balls – New Zealand:
Synonym of flamboyant batting technically McCullum ended the career in the same way. The final test match of McCullum's career against Australia in 2016 at Christchurch. There is no better feeling to end a career with the name into the record books.
One of the destructive batsmen in limited-overs cricket for New Zealand over the last one decade. This knock came during the second test of the series. Australia after winning the toss, invited the hosts to bat first. With 32/3 it looked the tourist will restrict them to the lowest score.
But what followed next was the greatest hitting in the history of cricket. Brendon McCullum took on the aerial route and smashed the fastest century of all-time in just 54-ball.
Brendon McCullum has scored 145 runs off 79 balls including 21 fours and 6 sixes and destroyed the line and lengths of Australian bowlers with his destructive counter-attack. Although New Zealand lost the game but that fastest century from Brendon McCullum was the highlight of the match and McCullum's name was written in the history books.
2. Viv Richards – 56 Balls – West Indies:
The second fastest century in test cricket came from the bat of the greatest player in cricket. This knock was more special as it came in a bowling-friendly era. When boundary ropes were large, bat size was different from the current era, batsman had to without proper equipment and most importantly bowlers were more dangerous in that era.
The final test match of the series and England team was already trailing by 4-0 in the series, nothing much for them except to fight for his pride only. After winning the toss West-Indies decided to bat first and went onto post 464 runs in their first innings. The England team crumbed down to 310 runs in the first innings.
The west-indies was at the peak in those years and that's what followed next in the second innings when Viv Richards Smashed the fastest test century of all-time with 7 sixes and 7 fours and broke the record of Jack Gregory century of 67-ball. Viv Richards held the record for three long decades.
3-long decades clearly justifies how difficult it was to bat in that era of deadly bowling speedsters' but this flamboyant batsman made it possible with a blend of destructive batting. After such destruction England was already out of the match to chase the massive total of 400-plus in the fourth Innings. Crumbled in the first innings England team was humiliated in the second innings and managed to score 170 runs and lost the match.
3. Misbah ul Haq – 56 Balls – Pakistan:
The surprise entry into the list. What can he do to hit the century in a destructive way? This might be your reaction after seeing his names into the lists. Till now there is no Virender Sehwag and Mathew Hayden in the list so you can understand how great this player was for his team. Mostly remembered for this defensive approach of batting during his career.
But in 2014 towards the end of his career he showed the different side of his batting to the world. Second test match of the series and after winning the toss Pakistan put on massive score on the board 570/6 and declared their first innings with the well consolidated knocks of Azhar Ali (109), Younis Khan (213) and Misbah-ul-Haq (101). Australia managed to score 261 in their first innings.
Pakistan declared their second innings at 293/3 with another century from Azhar Ali (100) and Misbah-ul-Haq 101 runs off 57 balls while remaining unbeaten. This was the third fastest hundred in the history came from the bat of Misbah-ul-Haq during the second innings of a test match.
Chasing the massive total target in the fourth innings Australians were nowhere in the match and only managed to score 246 in the second innings and lost the match by 356 runs.
4. Adam Gilchrist – 57 Balls – Australia:
If Brendon McCullum can make it to such list then why Adam Gilchrist won't make it to the list. The man who defined the day explosive batting in the 2000 era was Adam Gilchrist. One of the greatest ever wicket-keeper batsman produced by Australia after Ian Healy was Adam Gilchrist.
Gilchrist almost broke Viv Richards 56-ball century but that couldn't happen. This knock came during the second innings of the third test match at Perth – the fastest ground in the world while playing against England. Gilchrist arrived when the team was already in winning position with the lead of 400 plus.
Adam Gilchrist has scored 102 runs off 59 including 12 fours and 4 Sixes while remaining unbeaten. Australia declared their second innings at 527/5 as the England team managed to score 350 in the second innings and lost the match by 206 runs.
The time at which this knock came was the second fastest of all-time as Gilchrist destroyed every English bowler who stood his way. Gilly was unstoppable with his bat flow in that innings and if Australia couldn't declare that innings who might know it could have been the fastest double hundred of all-time.
5. Jack Gregory – 67 Balls – Australia:
The first ever fastest test century in cricket came from the bat of a fast bowler of Australia in 1921. Jack Gregory almost held the record for 63-long years when Viv Richards broke his record. During that time many great batsmen have arrived but no one was able to break that record.
Century from the batsman is often regarded as a great achievement but a fastest century from a bowler this was the innings of epitome greatness. No T-20 or limited overs cricket in those years when this knock came against South Africa in their own territory at Johannesburg.
It was the second test match of 3-match series after winning the toss Australia was two down at 128/2 then walked in Jack Gregory with the aggressive attitude and from the word go he was unstoppable against south African pacers.
Jack Gregory spent just 70 minutes on the crease before making his name into the history books while scoring 67-ball hundred. Gregory scored 119 runs off 85 balls including 19 fours in the first innings.
After being humiliated in the first innings the hosts fought back in the second innings and were able to draw the test match which was somewhere not possible without that quick-fire century from Jack Gregory.
