Have you ever thought of a batter starting their Test career with a century and ending it with a century?
It seems like the stuff of dreams, doesn’t it? However, a few batters achieved this rare feat, accumulating hundreds in their debut and farewell Test matches.
In this article, we’ll list the batters with centuries in their first and last Test matches.
Batters with Centuries in First & Last Tests
| Player | First Match Score | First Match Date | Final Match Score | Final Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reginald Duff (AUS) | 104 (2nd Inn) | 01 Jan 1902 | 146 (1st Inn) | 14 Aug 1905 |
| William Ponsford (AUS) | 110 (1st Inn) | 19 Dec 1924 | 266 (1st Inn) | 18 Aug 1934 |
| Greg Chappell (AUS) | 108 (1st Inn) | 11 Dec 1970 | 182 (1st Inn) | 02 Jan 1984 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin (IND) | 110 (1st Inn) | 31 Dec 1984 | 102 (2nd Inn) | 02 Mar 2000 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 104* (2nd Inn) | 01 Mar 2006 | 147 (2nd Inn) | 07 Sep 2018 |
Key Insights
Reginald Duff became the first-ever batter to score centuries in his first and last Test matches. He notched up 102 on debut and 146 on farewell against England. Those are the only 2 hundreds he scored in his 22-match Test career.
Duff, William Ponsford, and Alastair Cook are the 3 batters who brought up their tons in the first and last matches against the same opposition. Australia’s Duff and Williams did it against England, while England’s Alastair Cook achieved the feat against India.
What’s fascinating is that all 3 batters also played their farewell Tests at the same venue — London’s Kennington Oval.
Except for Cook, the other 4 batters scored hundreds against England on their Test debut.
Mohammad Azharuddin scored 110 on his Test debut against England. But he didn’t stop there and hammered 2 more centuries (105 and 122) in the next 2 matches against the same opposition. With that, he created a record for smashing 3 consecutive centuries in the first 3 Tests.
Duff’s 146 and Ponsford’s 266 in their last matches are the highest individual scores in their respective Test careers.
